Monster Child
by MorbidMaestro
Summary: You can only treat a person like a Monster for so long, until they become a monster.
1. A Hero is Among Us

_hey everybody, it's been a while since i wrote anything. i took a break on **Martin Triplets** but rest assured i will finish it... hopefully soon. i've started on the next chapter, but there's still alot of loose ends i need to tie up. anyway here's another story idea that i thought was interesting, hope you like it._

_just to elimainate any confusion, i don't own the Suite Life, only characters you know don't exist in the show. _

* * *

Prologue

Like a flash of lightning, the shock in those words heard in the news had the entire Tipton hotel staff in pandemonium.

"A Point 7 Earthquake on the Richter scale has hit Boston hard! The extent of damage is yet to be determined."

Carey had heard the news and was already at the boy's middle school moving frantically pass the other panicked parents in search for her own kin. She was relatively calm at first that was, until she learned that some of the children were actually trapped inside. The earthquake had caused a gas leak and the school hallway was on fire, making it impossible for these kids to get out. Everyone was ordered to stay back while the firefighters did everything they could to abolish the flames. The most horrifying part was when Carey learned that 'both' of her boys were among the eight children trapped. She had nearly gone ballistic with hysterics during the entire rescue until an uncertain amount of time had passed, and she was able to get a glimpse of her boys. The remaining children were finally able to make their way towards their parents. Many of the kids had been crying and some of the parents were doing the crying. A little further in the distance were two kids limping their way out. Paramedics had rushed to their aid, one of the boys required a stretcher but passed that, everyone was accounted for. That is, except one.

Firefighters once again rushed inside the building, disappearing into the smoke filled school.

To Carey's relief, both Zack and Cody were okay but there were a few minor injuries here and there. After a flurry of hugs and kisses, pats on the head, and "I love you's," Carey noticed that something was amiss in her boys. While there was nothing physically wrong with her kids, they seemed emotionally strained.

"Are you boys okay?" She asked in her motherly tone, hoping that they were just both shaken up or something.

"We're fine mom." Zack stated. "It's just that…" He stopped for a moment and just turned his head towards a rushing fireman carrying a kid in his arms. After laying him on the ground of the football field, a few other rescuers gathered around the victim, surrounding him with medical equipment. A lady in a paramedic uniform was squeezing oxygen into his lungs, but the efforts seemed futile.

"Jonah!" Zack and Cody shouted.

Immediately the boys rushed over to the body, kneeling down beside the possibly dead classmate.

"C'mon Jonah, Wake up! Pull through!" Cody shouted.

A firm hand grabbed his shoulder.

"Stay back son. This boy's is in critical condition. Best that you go back where it's safe." Said a fireman.

"Please, don't let him die." Cody cried. "Please… don't let him die…"

"Don't you worry bout that son, we're doing the best we can."

"You can't let him die." Zack said.

"We're going to do our very best, you can count on that." Assured the fireman.

"You don't understand sir." Cody started.

"Understand what son."

"That kid just saved all of our lives." Zack finished.

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, if it wasn't for him, all seven of us would be dead right now."

* * *

Chapter: 1 A Hero is Among Us

Alarm clocks always seem to prophesy the inevitability of another school day.

6:30 am, Monday morning.

Who wants to wake up to that?

Zack dreaded the sound of that alarm clock about as much as he dreaded hearing Cody's appreciation for it.

"Another week of school is about to begin! Hours of joyous lessons we can apply to life are only a bus ride away. Math, Science, World History…"

"Will you shut up? You set the alarm clock a half hour earlier again didn't you?"

"I do that so I can make sure I have enough time to rustle you out of bed, it takes about that long to get you moving anyway."

Like a delighted child skipping off to Disneyland, Cody hummed his way out of the room.

Wow, he was too dorky to even understand how hopelessly lame he was. Cody actually had the nerve to be excited about school, that's right, the NERVE!

Of course mom was always excited to see that her boys were up bright and early, getting themselves ready for school. What did she think this was, Little House on the Prairie? This wasn't the countryside where everyone could wake up to the nice warm sun pouring into the bedroom. No! This was hardcore Boston! Instead of waking up to a pancake breakfast, there was Honey Nut Cheerios, and Raisin Bran. Neither box had any plastic wrapped toy inside so it's not like either one was worth opening anyway.

The second Zack lifted up the covers, he was welcomed to the searing cold.

'Holy Hell' was the first thought that came to mind.

The hotel is usually warm, but when you turn on the fan at night for its ambient noise, you're instantly making a sacrifice.

"C'mon Zack, you're gonna make us late!"

"I'm getting up already! Geez!"

Cody could be such a crybaby…

Oh well, it was better to just get it over with anyway.

Zack got up and dressed rather quickly, it wasn't like him to spend too much time in front of the mirror, and he'd usually brush his hair on the way out.

It was such an ordinary day, nobody would've ever expected what was going to happen, but then again the most dramatic events are the ones nobody's ever prepared for.

All it would take was the elements of nature to change an entire outlook on life.

It would involve Zack, Cody, and a host of other students that just happened to be in a certain place at a certain time. Maybe it happened for a reason.

School was in session and the kids were busying themselves with everyday conversation.

"Okay students, take out your Literature books and work on pages 105 through 112."

The day started just as it was planned. It was group study. Because it was an overpopulated classroom of 38 students, everyone was allowed to pick their groups of seven. Out of habit, Zack and Cody instantly grouped together and were paired up with five other kids including Kevin, the kid in theater class all the girls liked because they mistook his weirdness as mystery, Agnes, the girl who liked Zack and Cody but couldn't decide which one she liked more, two football players Eric, and Josh, and then there was Dakota, the one girl who remained a neutral party at the school because nobody liked her, but she wasn't hated either.

Everybody was set and groups were picked. They could all begin the reader's discussion. Suddenly, as if a cold draft on a hot summer day came inside the room, the classroom door opened, provoking the majority of students to look within that direction.

"Wait a minute, Jonah, do we need to find you a group?" The teacher asked.

The room fell silent for about 5 seconds.

"Is anybody short of a group member?"

Nobody said anything, yet their eyes were focused heavily on the kid standing in the middle of the room with his head down. Jonah was relatively new and didn't really hit it off with the kids at this school.

"Oh great, he'd better not get stuck with us." Zack mumbled.

Some of the jocks laughed.

Jonah looked over at Zack from the corner of his eye, he heard what was said. He kept his head down.

"You don't have to be mean Zack." Cody whispered.

"I'm just saying, I heard that kids psycho."

Cody's eyes widened, "Psycho, like how?"

"I heard his parents found something freakishly wrong with him, then they got rid of him by releasing him to the state. It looks like somebody must've been stupid enough to adopt him."

Cody's mouth dropped open, "Dude, those are pretty harsh words to say about someone."

"Hey, I'm just telling you what I heard," Zack said defensively.

Cody looked over to Jonah and kinda felt bad for him.

It must've been pretty embarrassing for that kid to stand in the middle of the classroom with nobody willing to accept him. He looked so pitiful; it was obvious the clothes he was wearing had been lying on some shelf, the colors looked slightly faded. He dangled a brand new Jansport backpack over his shoulder, red, in direct contrast of the sun dried blue sweater. It was like his face had 'state property' written all over it, you could tell he was a foster child.

His grey eyes would look up but only for a moment, then hide under the brown mop top covering up all emotion. His oversized cargo pants outlined the frailness of his thighs through the shades of deteriorated black cloth.

There wasn't a kinder way to think it, the kid looked pitiful.

Cody had only seen him one time before, and that was in the cafeteria when he got tripped, everyone laughed of course, but Jonah did nothing to fight back, or even step back in line to get another tray, he simply left.

"Very well," the teacher said. "You can go in this group."

She gestured her hand towards Zack and Cody's direction. You could almost hear the sound of relief coming from the other tables, and the sigh of disappointment from the one unlucky group.

Jonah reluctantly walked over to the table he was assigned, he could sense the tension so he headed to the only side of the table where he would meet no opposition, at least, not as much. He moved right next to Dakota, even she seemed to not like the fact he was in the group.

"Okay, lets get started." Cody said trying to break the ice.

Everyone just kind of let him direct the group because they were going to copy off him anyway.

This of course had led to boredom for the rest of the group members, and like a chain of events, Jonah came up in the random conversations.

The jocks were going to have a field day with Jonah; he could feel it.

"So freak, did you have a good night sleeping in your holding chamber?"

"Knock it off Josh." Cody said, trying to be a little supportive of Jonah.

Sarcastically Josh replied, "Why Cody, I didn't know you had feelings for Pinocchio."

Cody was confused,

"Pinocchio?"

"Yeah, I bet he's hoping one day he'll be a **real** boy."

The whole room fell silent. Josh unintentionally said it loud enough for the whole class to hear. The teacher wasn't even paying that much attention, she assumed the group was making a scene, disrupting the others from working, so she told them all to go into the empty study room across the hallway.

The only one embarrassed was Cody, he being the perfect student and all, didn't want his name besmirched.

The eight group members grabbed their books and headed across the room into the next, all except Jonah, he was visibly angry and hurt at what was said, but made no attempt to lash out, he just… left.

"Well, that's one less name to put on this worksheet." Zack shrugged.

The others in the group started laughing.

Cody grabbed his brother by the arm and led him to a corner.

"Cody, what are you doing?"

"How can you be so mean?" Cody whispered.

"Hey, I didn't say anything to him, you saw what happened, I had nothing to do with that."

"But you didn't even try to help him, Zack you know these guys would stop picking on him if **you** asked them to, they actually **like **you."

"You act like it's my job to protect him, I don't have to look out for anyone except you, and things are fine the way they are."

"So you're saying you wont help him because it's not your **job**?"

"Well… yeah." Zack smiled.

Cody looked disappointed with his brother. He shook his head and left the room.

"Uh Cody, where are you going?"

"I'm going to see if he's okay,"

"But…"

"Zack, do yourself a favor and find a soul."

Cody was frustrated but realized his brother was still as one dimensional as he'd always been, so he let it go. Cody walked down the hallway to see if he could find Jonah. What if he was crying? He hoped not, it's eerie watching another guy cry in front of you; it's embarrassing for both people. Or maybe he's in the bathroom stall, a well-known spot for the emo's to reside.

Jonah seemed like the type who was only one makeover away from being a Goth, all the symptoms were there, troubled past, no friends, eyes downcast, probably dreaming of suicide but too confused with how to go through with it because he cant think of the right way to die.

Everyone knows when you supposedly kill yourself; it has to be a super dramatic, long drawn out art film in which your death is supposed to be a metaphor representing a shattered dream.

Cody hoped that wasn't the case.

So much was going through that overactive imagination. But once he got to the bathroom door, Jonah came out and bumped past him.

"Hey, you okay."

Jonah stopped for a second, he looked at Cody with a pair of sad eyes, and then immediately he kept walking; his eyes darted the floor.

"Please… just go away," he said.

The surprisingly monotone voice left Cody wondering how long people had treated him like this. Jonah had no emotion to his voice, it was like he couldn't be hurt anymore because all of the bad things that could've possibly happened to a kid, happened.

He followed Jonah back into the study room with the other kids.

"Hey Cody, check this out!" Zack yelled.

Nobody paid any attention to Jonah, they had already moved on to a different subject, the room.

Cody was led to the door where he saw about six different locks made just for this room.

"You consider yourself the smart one, why on earth would they have so many locks on one door? Zack asked.

That actually made Cody smile.

"This is the study area… they put all of the schools best computers in this room, it would be stupid not to take extra precautions. I'll bet this door is electronically set to lock when the door closes, sound proofed, and probably would require the fire department to break it down incase nobody had a key."

That was when Eric got this brilliant idea to kick the door shut. Like Cody had suggested, the doors immediately locked. It was within that moment Eric knew he did something stupid.

Cody slowly turned his head to the jock that couldn't help but be a dumb ass.

Sarcastically he exclaimed,

"Isn't it a mystery that I somehow knew an idiot like you was going to do something like that?"

Any other time the jock would've retaliated, but Cody, knowing his brother was in the room with him, had no trouble running his mouth.

Then Zack wondered,

"How the school could even afford a door like this is the real mystery here."

He knocked on the door.

"Yep, that's a heavy duty door. Congratulations everybody, we're screwed."

"Dammit Eric, you're such a stupid ass!" Josh yelled.

It was all fun and games at first, and then it got boring really fast. Minutes felt like hours.

Cody, being the only one not amused began rapping at the door as long as he could until he was just too tired to go on. Agnes sat with Dakota, the only other girl, and struck up a meaningless conversation.

"So… what's your story?"

Zack leaned back into a nearby chair and let out a deep breath. He loved the fact that they could possibly be stuck in there for the rest of class time.

"Now we have a valid reason to not do this crappy assignment."

As the others laughed and joked, Jonah sat in a corner once again excluding himself of all human contact. He had tuned the world out. The voices in the background had become a rustling noise track that played behind the doors of a studio. If anyone glanced his direction, they would have seen a stressed out, emotionally confined kid who seemed to be on the brink of a breakdown. The cruel jokes didn't help; the tension he could sense within everyone he was around didn't help, it appeared that Jonah was a lost cause.

But none of these things seemed to matter to the boy, for he was in deep thought. If anyone could have known what he was thinking, it would have been a different story. It's said that in all great stories, dominant traits always mask the opposites. Deep within the stressed exterior of the outcast was an ignited spark of pure satisfaction. The child had done something earlier to ease the suffering. It was an unexpected decision made at the last minute, but nevertheless, the decision had been made.

It was such an ordinary day…

Nobody would've ever expected what was going to happen, not even Jonah. Even after the scene of events had taken place, nobody still really knew what had happened. The only thing anybody could actually remember was that it all started with an earthquake.

Like the faint vibrations of a cell phone buzzing at your feet, the ground began to awaken.

"Whoa! You feel that?" Zack said as he was beginning to lose balance in the chair he was swinging back and forth on.

Suddenly, the conversations faded away to silence as the sound of moving shelves and pencils began to fill the atmosphere. Like the clattering of teeth, the windowpanes began to shudder uncontrollably.

"Oh my god, I'm scared!"

"Calm down Agnes, it's net even a three on the Richter scale." Cody replied, trying to sound confident, but even he knew that something was going to go terribly wrong.

"Hey, it's kinda like sitting in a massage chair," Kevin exclaimed.

Immediately, the shaking became more violent and the tables were starting to move. Papers began to slide off the tables quicker than the smiles of the brave; computer screens were falling off and smashing into the ground, setting off fireworks.

The boldness of the confident had vanished, the individual entities in the closed off space would soon become the children of the hour. While some acted quickly to find shelter, others were frozen in time.

"Holy shit!"

"Josh, get under the table!" Cody yelled from underneath his protective shelter. Josh didn't listen; he was too caught up in what was happening, to him, a solution to the problem was nonexistent.

"We're gonna fuckin DIE!" he yelled.

Panic ensued inside the tiny room and echoed off the walls.

Josh was freaking out, screaming at the top of his lungs, too dumbstruck by what was happening to even take cover. His eyes were lit up with the sparks of fear, he couldn't hear the voices of reason, and it was as if he was a deer caught in headlights. Everything was all happening so fast, the lights in the room went out. The girls were screaming. It was completely dark except what was coming from the windows. Josh, who was still in a panic, headed towards the opening and began to wrestle one of the window panes open.

Cody yelled at the top of his lungs, "JOSH, GET AWAY FROM THE WINDOW!!!"

Josh couldn't hear him.

"IT"S GONNA EXPLODE!!!"

Josh was beginning to see little cracks branch within the glass like a river leading towards the impending doom.

Silently under his breath, the words 'oh no' escaped his mouth. Before he could finish his thought, the glass fired upon him like a hailstorm of bullets. Sending him into a frenzy of yelps and screams. Bookshelves began to fall over spilling an army of hardcover books on top of his head and onto the rest of the floor.

Zack, who remained under one of the tables with both arms wrapped tight across a silver pole watched in horror as one of his classmates laid on the ground unconscious. It seemed so unreal. The ground would just not stop shaking. He couldn't figure out why this was happening, another bookshelf fell crashing into the windows, covering the only source of light, they were all barricaded inside.

Another few moments passed, the shaking had finally stopped. The earthquake alarm went off and the sound of children moving their feet rapidly across the hallways could be heard. The lights in the room came back on. It was now possible to see all the damage that had been done. Cody was the first to look from under the table. Both of the girls were crying.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god…"

Dakota was in hysterics as she looked at her own right hand she used to protect her neck from falling objects, the bone to her middle finger was exposed.

Kevin had a twisted leg, it didn't look broken, but who really knew?

Eric crawled over to Josh who lay very still. What he saw made him shriek.

"Josh… JOSH! BUDDY… wake up… c'mon… WAKE UP!

Josh's face was covered with cuts and gashes the same way a cherry pie was laced on top with dough. It was unreal…

"C'MON…. wake up josh… wake up…" he tried nudging josh, shaking him even, no movement.

Cody placed his hand over his forehead, and then it slid down over his mouth. It was hard to believe what he was looking at.

Agnes had been navigating her hands all over the floor in search for her glasses, upon finding them half cracked, she placed them over her face to get a clearer vision of the destruction. It really made no difference.

"Josh… please… wakeup… please don't do this to me. You're my only friend, we've known each other forever." Eric nearly whispered.

It was then he started to cry. Balling up his fists, he managed to pull himself up so that he could sit firmly on the ground. The room fell silent for a minute, and then Eric turned his face away from his bloodied up friend.

" I… I think he dead…"

Eric looked up at the others and there were tears in his eyes.

"H-he's Dead."

This came as sort of a shock to Zack. It was surprising how fast someone's ability to cope with the things that happen in life could be tested. Here sat this relatively big kid in the room that made it his ambition to weed out the emotionally weak, crying like a baby. Defeated by overwhelming circumstances that he had no control over. His friend was on the ground unable to wake up, motionless. It had created a profound realization in Zack that even the most unlikely people could get scared, and yes, Zack, for the very first time in a long time, was horrified.

Cody tried to move in closer but there was too much rubble in the way, and he couldn't seem to lift his left arm very high.

Zack, as well as Agnes, were pretty much the lucky ones. Both appeared unharmed. Dakota however, grew lightheaded and flopped over to the side.

Zack crawled over to her, she kept mumbling the words 'oh my god… oh my god...'

"She's so cold." He said.

"Oh god, what's wrong with her?" Agnes replied.

Suddenly there was some rustling from the other side of the room. Underneath the pile, Jonah slowly came crawling out, sweater ripped and all. He grunted past the piles of rubble nearly swimming his way to the surface, and on to stable ground. He was no longer trapped but the more steps he took the more he winced in pain. Jonah looked down to see that there was a nasty looking slash across his stomach. He placed his hand on the wound and pulled away to see his entire hand covered in blood. He balled his hand into a fist and decided to ignore the searing pain he felt. His eyes glazed the devastation across the room like a film camera panning to the left. Then he glanced over at the shivering girl in the corner with two bodies huddled over her.

Jonah rushed over to Zack and the girl. He felt for a pulse. Then he felt her arms. He arrived to a conclusion.

"She's going into shock, keep her warm." Jonah replied, and then he took off his tattered sweater and placed it over her. Now, you could truly see how deep he was cut, the white shirt he had on underneath stained half of his upper body with a crimson red.

"You're hurt too…" Agnes said.

Jonah looked down at his own wound and realized how much of an understatement that was. And yet, he shrugged it off. Instead, he knelt down beside Dakota and told her that she was going to be fine and that it was important for her to just relax.

She opened her mouth to speak. "H-how d-do you k-know this?" She shivered.

Jonah hesitated, and then he looked over to Agnes.

"Wrap this around her and don't let her go to sleep. And you,"

Jonah pointed to Zack.

"Keep talking to her."

Zack immediately responded to the command. He held Dakota's good hand and started speaking to her in an upbeat tone trying not to scare her.

Then Jonah turned around and saw Kevin lying on the ground. Kevin had fear in his eyes.

"I. I'm scared…" he said as if he was out of breath.

"Don't be. I'm going to get you out." Jonah replied.

"No. You don't get it. We're all going to die!"

Kevin was shaking all over. He looked around the room in frenzy for a possible way out. The more he saw, the more claustrophobic the room felt.

"Look at me in the eyes." Jonah signaled with his two fingers.

"Nobody's going to die today."

He said it with such calmness and conviction that Kevin actually felt that he could put confidence in those words.

"But, I need you, to help me help you." Jonah said.

"There's a very heavy book case pressing down on your leg. Can you feel your toes?"

He hesitated for a moment to check.

"Yes… yes I can feel them." Kevin replied.

"Good. I need you to pull your leg out when I lift this shelf."

Kevin innocently nodded his head in full confidence of this stranger.

Cody lie on his side in awe. At first he couldn't understand why Jonah was helping the people that spent every waking moment of time harassing and bullying him.

It came as a shock at first that Jonah said anything at all. As a matter of fact, this was the most active he had ever been. What was motivating him? Where did this certain drive come from? The boy who once hung his head down low was alert, and helping the people around him that had gotten hurt, even at his own expense. Cody could see just how hurt Jonah really was as he lifted the shelf up by himself. Blood began pouring out from what started as drops, now as a tiny stream. But he toughed out his pain in attempts to save a fallen man. Once the shelf was high enough, Kevin slid his foot out and was happy to realize that it was just sprung.

As Agnes finished wrapping the sweater around her classmate, Jonah raced over to where Josh lay unconscious. He looked closely at the wounds and saw that many of them were deep.

"He's hardly breathing."

Jonah was startled once he began to inhale an all too familiar scent.

"We have to get out right now." He almost whispered.

Then to strike a chord of fear into the barricaded room, someone on the other side of the door that confirmed everything Jonah sensed shouted four words. "FIRE IN THE HALLWAY."

"Shit." Eric yelled.

It was evident that if they did not get out of there soon enough, they would all be burnt alive.

Maybe in the longrun, this was where the story should've ended, but it didn't. It seemed that in all the possibilities presented in the face of an uncertain outcome, the most unlikely of things happened instead.

* * *

"You want to tell me what happened in there, son? The fireman inquired. 

Cody looked upward; he had been staring at Jonah's lifeless body on the grass. Paramedics were administering CPR with no luck for the past seven minutes.

"What?" Cody asked.

"You said that this boy saved all of your lives. How?"

"Well, he…" Zack started. But then he realized that he really didn't know how. It was all a blur; he was nearly passed out from the smoke to remember exactly what happened. " I… I really don't know." He finished. Then Zack looked at Cody who obviously knew different.

Cody definitely knew what happened, but he also remembered something else that was very important. They were the last words that Jonah told him before he and Zack escaped with their lives intact.

'Whatever you do, do NOT tell anyone what you saw.' It was a request; perhaps a final request and Cody had already made a sworn promise to never tell, to never reveal the truth of how they all got out alive.

"Cody, what happened?" Carey finally asked.

Now that the pressure was on, Cody was forced to make up a convincing story.

" There was a small opening in the wall, just big enough for everyone to get out, but one of us had to hold up a massive bookshelf that was tipped over so the rest of us could get out… we were able to drag Josh out and… and Zack… and… and… "

Tears came out of Cody's eyes.

"It's okay sweetie." Carey said, coming to the rescue.

Cody didn't have to explain any further. They got the picture. Zack gave him a pat on the back.

"Hey buddy, it's all over, we're gonna be okay."

For a moment everything was quiet. All attention was being focused on the kid lying on the ground. Hundreds of onlookers held their breath in anticipation and hope.

It had only been moments, but word had already spread very quickly that this kid that was lying on the ground was some kind of a hero that saved the lives of the other trapped children. Everybody had their own version of what they had heard but in a nutshell, it all came back to Justin being the savior of their children's lives. Suddenly, Jonah had become the most important kid in the world.

"Oh man, he looks pretty bad." Someone whispered.

"He's just a kid, he'll pull through."

Things were happening so fast. Without warning, news vans pulled up to cover the earthquake and fire story, only to hear of what would soon make headline news as 'the tragic hero.'

Cody still tried to fight off the tears because from the way it looked, not everything really was going to be okay. Why? He couldn't understand. Why did Jonah do what he did for the people that cared nothing about him? Little did he know, but Cody would actually get the chance to find out.

"WE'VE GOT A PULSE!" A medic shouted.

A wave of relief washed over the crowd, there was even some cheering in the distance once the news traveled throughout the entire crowd. But, it was only half the battle.

"I need restraints and Morphine stat, he's convulsing!"

Cody wasn't allowed to get a closer look but by the sounds of his pain and anguish, he could tell that Jonah was suffering greatly. His screams pierced the ears of the crowd, as well as their hearts. It was one of the most disturbing sounds any kid could have ever heard. It was hard to take in. Cody couldn't help but cover his ears to diminish the pain he could feel within his heart.

"He's kicking, hold him! Clear everybody out of here!!"

Paramedics worked feverishly to keep Jonah from hurting himself even more by moving. The boy seemed unaware of what was going on. The pain was too great. As they pulled Zack and Cody away from the scene, Cody was able to get a small glimpse of Jonah from a different angle and realized that they had removed his shirt. He had cuts and bruises everywhere. Parts of his body seemed to have been scorched by the flames.

"Where the hells the morphine, if we don't numb him now we're gonna lose him."

The crowds grew more silent as they were pushed away from the scene by local cops. Everything from then on became a blur, like everything was beginning to exceed reality. The twins, as well as the other victims were told to lie down in the back of paramedic vehicles for safety reasons as they were being driven to the hospital for injuries.

A few hours would pass before word on Jonah's condition would be made known to the public. Zack and Cody laid in separate beds in the recovery room next to each other. The rustling noises of hospital machinery created an unsteady rhythm in the room, the crinkly sheets on top of the examination tables would rustle even when the tiniest of movements were made. While both were in the same predicament of sorts, each of them had their own deep thoughts to sift through.

Zack, for the first time in his life felt like total crap. This time however, it wasn't because he ate something bad, or had a fever. Here it was this kid he didn't give two cents worth about, fighting for his life a couple of rooms down because he risked his life to save him as well as his twin. Zack thought about the events that transpired earlier. It was crazy, what he said about that poor kid. He did absolutely nothing to defend him and he could remember how he said aloud that Jonah was not his problem. He knew that he could have helped this outcast if he wanted to, but instead he just wanted to crack jokes at the poor bastards expense. The cuts and bruises didn't even hurt because all the pain and realization of what a jerk he's been burned much brighter.

Cody managed to drift off into a daydream state in which his eyes were closed but he wasn't asleep. Everything that happened kept playing back into his mind. The earthquake, the barricaded doors, the exploding windows, and especially, the rescue kept rewinding itself in Cody's head.

'_Whatever you do, do NOT tell anyone what you saw.' _

Those were Jonahs exact words. What didn't he want him to tell anybody? He couldn't quite remember. But somehow, it was like his mind was skipping a part of what happened. He knew for sure how he got out of the building safely but still, it was impossible. Before Jonah told him not to tell a soul what happened, he remembered faint sounds coming from his mouth, like he was talking to somebody, or something. The words were mostly incoherent but the words that he heard quite clearly was,

"We have a deal."

Or was it… it was so hard to remember exactly what it was but Cody was able to somehow see in his head what he believed at first to be his imagination. When the smoke began to fill the tiny room they were stuck in, it was like a hallucination of some sort. Like there were people, or creatures standing within the smoke. Jonah was talking to them, or negotiating terms and agreements. Suddenly there was a flash that forced Cody out of his daydream.

The door to he and Zack's room was opened. Carey walked in with a sandwich from the cafeteria. Almost immediately another person followed.

"You two are very lucky to be alive." A doctor said as he was coming into their room. He began flipping through a couple of papers, nodding his head up and down. Carey snuck a peek at the clipboard over his shoulder, not that she knew what anything on the board meant.

The doctor, realizing her agitation turned towards her.

"Nothing but minor injuries here and there. Cody, your arm appeared broken but luckily it was just popped out of it socket. Zack, you only have a couple of bruises and little cuts here and there but you shouldn't do too much moving around for a while incase we haven't detected any head injuries.

The doctor rattled off some other things but they didn't make much sense. The important thing after all was the fact that they would be all right in a few days, they would get their lives back, and everything would go back to normal. The Tipton would be their playground as it always has been, there would always be free treats at the candy counter, and school would be in session once repairs had been made.

"How is everybody?" Zack inquired, still feeling a bit guilty.

"Your classmates are doing great. Your fellow classmate Josh woke up and seems to have no permanent injuries to his brain."

"What about Jonah?" Cody asked.

A bit of silence followed afterwards, but the Doctor took a deep breath.

"He's in critical condition right now. To tell you the truth, I'm surprised he's made it this far. That kid is one tough fighter."

Cody felt a little sick inside. After hearing those screams play back in his mind over and over, he just had to hear some good news, but there wasn't any.

"Rest assured, we are doing the best we can. That kid's made quite an impact on our community." The doctor continued.

"What do you mean?" Carey asked.

"Look out the window and see for yourself."

She hesitated for a moment looking at her boys who were equally clueless, and then she opened the blinds and stared outside to see a large gathering of at least a few hundred people. It was a sight to behold.

"Is this entire crowd out here for that kid?" Carey said with her mouth almost wide open.

"It sure is. The most amazing thing has happened. Since news spread about his heroism, we've gotten checks in the mail from anonymous people and cash from those crowds out there. Everybody as a whole has volunteered to pay for all his hospital bills. There's enough money here to give him the absolute best care we can offer."

A bit of relief washed over Cody, even Zack as well. Finally, there was some good new to tell. While it was still hard to imagine the events that had transpired earlier, even down to the way they all got out alive, the important thing was, the worst was over for now.

While the suprisingly human story of a brave soul touches the hearts of many, the truth behind the tragic hero lies deeply within the seeds of lies.  
There was so much more to Jonah than what met the eye.

* * *

_Do you like the story so far? _

_tell me what you think. _


	2. A Mystery Unravels

_yay, an update... _

_thankyou my loyal reviewers. _

_your responses please me.  
so **do it again!!!**  
_

* * *

"_I know what I saw. It wasn't a dream."_

Cody was in the study room banging on the locked door all over again. Everybody was talking to each other like there was nothing out of the ordinary.

"_So what's your story?"_ Agnes had said.

Cody could remember his one time stalker having a conversation with the other girl. He could remember Zack putting his feet up as if it were vacation. He could remember the two idiot jocks being obnoxious in the corner. But now, Cody was beginning to remember something else he didn't even know he witnessed. Jonah. He was in the room with everyone else, and like everyone else, he was into his own thing. But now Cody could see that there was something different about that kid. The outcast had a faint smile painted across his face, seemingly unaffected by those that ridiculed him earlier, like he found an answer to his own problems.

Then instantly within a flash, Cody found himself on the ground hurt. Others were hurt too. Jonah emerged out of the rubble harmed as well, but something about him was unique. He scanned the room, and he began helping people. The room soon after, filled with smoke, and maybe because it was a hallucination, Cody was able to see people that were never in the room. Within the midst of all this, the words 'We Have A Deal' were spoken. Who spoke these words, Cody couldn't remember. But, what Cody did know, was that without a doubt, those words were said.

He so badly wanted to know what it meant. Cody tried diving deeper but he was being pulled back like a river current. He was so close to figuring it out, but there was a ringing in his head that wouldn't stop. It was getting louder and louder, he couldn't stop the inevitable.

He was going to wake up.

* * *

Chapter 2: A Mystery Unravels!

Once again, alarm clocks always seem to prophesy the inevitability of another school day.

6:30 am, Monday morning.

Things were different this time. Zack was actually the first to get up. He hadn't been himself lately. It was as if his entire life had flashed before his eyes when the earthquake happened. He was beginning to realize that life was passing by rapidly, and he wasn't taking notice of anything.  
Was he up for school? Hardly. He didn't sleep well.  
He kept thinking of scenarios he could've replayed at the time Jonah was being bullied, he kept thinking of what he could've done to help Josh, or maybe there was a way to prevent the barricade. Was Cody really right about him?  
Did he not have a soul whatsoever?

Staring at his younger brother who remained motionless, Zack felt it was strange being the one to wake up Cody for once. That almost never happens.

"Cody, it's time to get up, we're going to be late."

"Did that come from who I think it came from?" The younger one managed to say.

"I know. I can't believe I'm saying it either." Zack replied, unable to ignore the look of his brothers' sheer amazement.

It was after Zack left the room Cody started contemplating what his dreams were trying to tell him.

"_I almost know for sure what I saw, it was not a dream." _

Cody kept telling this to himself. He just couldn't let it go.

The flames kept dancing in his mind. He could still smell the smoke, and feel the wounds. It's just like it happened yesterday.

"_Whatever you do, do not tell anyone what you saw."_

'_Why would Jonah say something like that? Didn't he want to be recognized for his bravery?  
Why would he hide his capabilities? What he did for everybody was literally impossible. I know what I'm thinking goes against everything I believe about logic and scientific fact, but I think Jonah may have superhuman abilities… No. Can't be._  
_Now I'm losing my mind. How did he do it? How did he get us out? There is no way he could've opened any doors, we were barricaded inside.'_

Suddenly, Cody's thought process was interrupted by a figure standing at the door.

"Are you boys ready to go back to school?"

"Yes mom." Zack replied, sliding past the arm planted on the doorknob.

"You know, you guys don't have to go yet if you're not comfortable." It seemed like Carey was insisting that they stayed home another day.

"Me and Cody will both be fine."

Here they were about to start school after being out for two weeks and the boys had to go back to their normal routines. It was actually a little bit of relief from the overprotective people at the hotel. It was like they were all making up for the times they ignored the twins by showering them with attention like celebrities. Maybe the employees felt bad, who knows.

It had been exactly two weeks since the earthquake and repairs had already been made to the school. It's funny how fast adults can work when they want to keep kids away from them. Before anyone knew it, students and teachers once again inhabited the facilities as if nothing ever happened.

At least on the outside it looked unchanged, with the new paint job and all, it appeared as a remodeling job. But within the walls of the school, a lot had changed since two weeks. Today, everybody would be talking about one thing, and one thing only.

It would be talked about in the hallways, silently in the classrooms, and loudly during P.E.

"I heard that kid Jonah like, flat lined three times, and then he like woke up during surgery."  
"Shut-Up, that's so not true, you're such a liar Caitlyn."  
"I am so not. Daniel told me, I heard his dad totally works at the hospital." 

It was apparent Jonah had become a legend of some sort basically overnight because of all the crazy talk. It was then Cody thought, it's not everyday gossip works in your favor, but when it does, it's the most awesome thing that can ever happen.

Soon enough, lunchtime came. The bell rang on the loudspeaker letting the students know that they had forty-five minutes to scarf down any and every bit of food they had before they would get in trouble for having it in their possession.

The lunch tables were unusually crowded today. Since the fire, the cafeteria employees had to replace everything in the storage units, which meant absolutely nothing had passed the expiration date. Cody was feeling a little better about being up and about and was finally able to relax a bit after having yet, another recurring dream about the earthquake and Jonah.

"I can't believe I'm actually looking forward to lunch." Cody said looking towards his brother. Zack was stifling back a yawn; he was pretty tired after waking up unusually early.

Cody had been trying to find a reason to get Zack to revert back to his normal mode, hoping for an obnoxious joke to follow afterwards, but got nothing.

Instead Zack got into the lunch line as usual and didn't even bother to cut in front of anyone.

"Didn't sleep much?"

It took a while for Zack's reply. He seemed half way out of it. Scanning the room, looking past all the other students laughing and joking with each other, Zack was focusing elsewhere. He was looking across the lunch area for all the exit signs.Since Zack arrived at school early this morning, he had become extremely paranoid, looking at the windows, doors, and the fire extinguishers.  
Now he was inspecting all possible exits in the open spaces of the cafeteria.  
He felt uncomfortable being in the center, seemingly far away from the doors to lifesaving refuge. Finally, Zack turned his attention back to Cody. 

"No… not really…"

"Not really what?" Cody asked.

"Didn't you ask me if I slept well?"

"Like two minutes ago... You've totally been out of it today, what's wrong with you?"

Zack opened his mouth about to defend himself, but decided not to.

"Jeez. Maybe mom was right. I don't think you were ready to come back here today." Cody finally said.

He looked a little frustrated that Zack was acting like a rag doll with half of its strings cut off. He seemed to dangle around his twin, just along for the ride. Zack tried to shrug it off.

"You're just being too dramatic Cody."

Eventually they both found a table with a couple of other friends they were used to sitting next to and began chowing down.  
At least Cody was.  
Zack couldn't concentrate once he laid eyes upon Dakota a few tables across from him with a thick wraparound bandage on her hand.  
She was sitting with a few newly made friends having a conversation, possibly telling the story of her ordeal, of course with a few extra details.  
But the unsettling feeling that came from Zack was overpowering his hunger.  
Just a few weeks ago, a group of kids were in a situation that could've disrupted the very flow of life. Sitting in the cafeteria, here, right now, could've never happened.  
That girl across the table is not supposed to be here, Agnes is not supposed to be here, Cody, is not supposed to be here. Yet they are all here, alive and well, while the one who saved all of their lives, was not. It was sad thinking about it. Jonah had to literally lay his life down on the line to get the same respect Zack flourished in everyday. The guilt was beginning to drive Zack crazy. He slid his tray of food over to Cody who was eating like there was no tomorrow. 

"I'm not really that hungry right now."

Before Cody could ask any questions, Zack got up from the table and headed out of the cafeteria. He needed to be alone, even if it was just for a moment.  
First, he walked outside for some fresh air but realized that there were even more people than in the cafeteria. Then, upon realizing the only place in the school for privacy was the bathroom, Zack headed there next.There were only a few minutes left before the bell rang. Zack considered ditching the next class period just so he could hide in the stall for an hour, but knew he would get in trouble. Before he could start wallowing away in self-loathing and pity, the bell rang. The troubled boy grew irritated by how the day was going. He was about to get up and leave until he heard somebody from the stall on his right, open the door. Zack always had a rule of leaving the bathroom stall after he was sure nobody else was around.  
At first Zack believed they were going to just wash their hands and go away, but instead, after the water finished running, no footsteps were heard going towards the exit. Instead, this person stayed. They began shagging their feet across the tiled floor with a wish wash sound, roaming to the left of the bathroom, and then to the right.  
It seemed like forever this kept going on, but only a minute had passed. Finally the pacing had stopped. 

"You lied to me…" a voice uttered.

Zack wondered if the kid was talking to him and almost replied, but then the kid started talking again.

"You said this would be over."

It sounded like he was about to cry.

Zack heard a flat palm press against the bathroom mirror. He knew the kid was talking to himself.

Then with a whispery voice, Zack heard him question, "Why am I still here?"

Out of sheer curiosity, he poked his face through the stall opening to see who this crazy nut was. Then, Zack's eyes grew wide in shock.

"Jonah?" he unintentionally said aloud.

Immediately the kid turned his head towards the bathroom stall. Zack fidgeted the door lock open and crept his way out halfway in disbelief.

"Is that… is that really you Jonah?"

The boy remained silent. As Zack nudged closer, the other kid moved further away. For a moment, Zack made eye contact. The kid looked away and stared at the floor. His brown hair draped over his face covering up the remnants of dry cuts on his left eyebrow and chin. It was so hard for Zack to believe what he was looking at. It was definitely him, it was Jonah, here, and standing right in front of him with a tattered Jansport backpack slung over his shoulder with a lightly singed strap holding it together. The backpack no longer had a red glow to it. It had been burnt pretty badly. How that even survived the fire, Zack could only guess. He noticed that besides a different shirt, Jonah was wearing the same sun dried black cargo pants that outlined his frail body.

Zack had no idea that Jonah ever woke up, let alone, would be well enough to come back to school from such a great ordeal. There was an exchange of silent glances between the two.

"Are you… okay?" Zack said trying not to sound too shocked.

Jonah made no attempt to reply. Instead he lifted his head slightly so his eyes would meet Zack. The look he gave was neither a cold stare nor a warm greeting; it was a stare of curiosity. Looking at Jonah brush his hair away from his face, Zack noticed the hospital tag was still on his left wrist. Was he released from the hospital just now? It didn't really matter; the important thing was Jonah was alive. The way he looked the last time Zack saw him, his chances of survival didn't look too good. Looking at Jonah now, he still didn't look too good. He seemed awfully pale. It was not like Jonah wasn't pale already, but he seemed sick, like he should've stayed in bed. Zack also noticed he was shivering a little.

"Are you cold?"

Zack tried getting closer.

Jonah shook his head no and backed up towards the wall. He wrapped his arms around his body.

"I can get you a sweater… if you want. Or maybe…"

Zack notice how Jonah nearly curled back in defense so he backed up just a little.

"Maybe you could come out of the bathroom and… I could take you someplace warm. That sound good to you?"

Jonah once again made no reply. He said nothing but Zack understood why Jonah wasn't so eager to accept help from him. After all the bullying the kid went through, it was no surprise at all. Instead of pressuring Jonah into making a decision, Zack backed away even more.

"I'd like to help you… if I can. You… saved my life. You saved my brothers life. I…"

Zack tried to find the right words. He took a deep breath.

"I owe you more than I could ever pay back. I know that you don't like me very much, and… I understand."

"Please…" Jonah uttered. He choked up two coughs and looked Zack straight in the eye.

"Please, just go away… I have nothing left to give to you."

"You don't understand, I don't want anything from you, I want to help you."

Zack could tell by Jonah's expression that he didn't believe him. And, why should he? It really wasn't that long ago Zack thought of him as the freak someone else was stupid enough to keep. It was only a rumor of course but it wasn't like he did anything to dispel such a dark and twisted vision from coming to life in the school hallways. Jonah's face said it all; he was no longer curious of Zack's intentions, Jonah didn't care. He wanted Zack to go away.

"You gave me my life back… If there is ANYTHING… anything at all that I can do to help you… you can let me know." Zack assured. For the first time in his life, this was a promise that he intended to keep one way or another whether Jonah wanted his help or not.

Jonah said nothing. He continued staring at Zack waiting for him to do something, anything. Zack was able to read between the silences. He headed towards the bathroom exit and walked to class.

It would be after that encounter, everything would shift into paranormal borders. Upon seeing Jonah, no day afterward would ever be classified as an ordinary day. Like most dramatic events, such as the ever-changing future, a series of unplanned events would be set into motion. The earthquake started the first chain of events, and now, the return of a mysterious hero would begin the second chain.

Zack walked into his classroom, late, as always, so it didn't seem too out of the ordinary when the teacher pulled out a slip to sign him up for after school detention. Cody nodded his head knowing that he might as well hang out at the library to wait for his brother to get out.

"Zachary Martin how many times must we go through this? Young man, if you do not value your education then what will separate you from the…"

The classroom door opened again, this time Jonah walked in. Like watching a film in slow motion, he took two slow steps into an invisible camera's focus. The vision seemed blurred, perhaps distorted. Once the picture became clearer, there was a sudden hush in everyone's voices and all of their attention focused towards the new school celebrity.

"It's Jonah." Somebody whispered.

The teacher stood there in as much shock as Zack was beforehand. It was like she was staring at a ghost.

"I… uh…"

The teacher looked around the room to make sure everyone was seeing what she was seeing.

"I… I can't believe what I'm seeing. Jonah?"

She moved a little closer.

"How… how are you? Is everything okay? Are you okay?"

Silently, Jonah mumbled the nearly incoherent words, "I'm doing just fine."

There was a bit more silence until the teacher finally smiled and opened her arms wide.

"It is **so** good to see you. I'm am very glad to hear that you're all right."

Then, she wrapped her arms around Jonah. The kid froze nearly in shock. Jonah's eyes grew wide, he couldn't recall the last time somebody gave him a hug. It was the most uncomfortable thing that he ever felt; yet it was somehow welcoming.

Soon after the awkward moment passed, Jonah looked around the room at all the students. He remembered a few weeks ago how they stared at him in disgust, how they didn't want to be around him. But now, it was different. They all looked at him with a newfound sense of respect. There were even a few smiles in the group, directed towards him of all places. It was as if his slate had been wiped clean, like he was going to be able to start over. As Jonah looked across the room to find a seat, instead of running into obstacles in which the seat was 'already taken' or 'reserved' for so called VIP, he found a desk within seconds of his arrival.

And just like that, class continued. Both Zack and Cody stared quizzically at each other from time to time almost telepathically communicating how strange this whole thing was. This story of how, all of the sudden, Jonah appears out of nowhere and then sitting in class, seemed to be a little too strange.

None were more surprised than Cody. The countless dreams he had been having lately had become almost an infatuation. Cody needed answers, and needed them now.  
More and more questions kept floating into his mind throughout the day like, _'why did you choose to save us all?'_ _' When did this sudden change of attitude towards the other classmates happen?'_ After all, Jonah could have let them all die while he escaped, and almost deservingly. _'What was Jonah smiling about when he sat alone?'_ Cody wanted to say something, anything, but he lacked the courage to ask. 

Twenty minutes had passed by and class was almost over. Cody had not been paying attention at all. To his complete surprise, Cody didn't even realize that Jonah had been staring at him from just a few seats over. The look he gave was hypnotizing. At first Cody gave a shy smile as if to silently acknowledge his presence and possibly communicate to Jonah that he was glad to see that he was okay. Unfortunately, Jonah didn't return the smile; instead he bent his head down and scribbled something down on a piece of paper. A few seconds later, he held the paper up. Four words were boldly printed out.

'_DID YOU TELL ANYONE?'_

Cody nodded his head to assure Jonah that his secret was safe. But what was the secret? Cody didn't understand what he was supposed to be hiding. It's not like he could explain what he saw. Even in his dreams, it was confusing. Jonah seemed neither upset nor satisfied. He crinkled up the paper and didn't look Cody's direction for the rest of class time. Soon after, the bell rang and Jonah disappeared into the crowded hallways before Cody could catch up.

The rest of the day was a complete blur. Although the entire class saw Jonah return, the rest of the school remained oblivious. It turned out that Jonah had showed up to one class only, and it seemed it was just to ask Cody one simple question.

Eventually night fell. Carey made dinner for the boys, and was getting prepared for a dress rehearsal. As they sat at the table, Zack and Cody both talked to each other about their separate encounters with Jonah and thought just how strange it was seeing him like that. It left Zack confused, Cody mystified. It felt like they both had been on a roller coaster ride all day long. Every twist and turn was greater than the other and it was becoming difficult to hang on. Just when the twins thought they were going to be able to strengthen their grip just a little longer, the phone rang. Little did Zack and Cody know, both of them were about to be introduced to an even steeper cliff that would throw them off the ride altogether.

Carey was the one to pick up the phone. Moments later she hung up and had a look of worry on her face. Cody was the first to pick up on the vibe and asked if something was wrong.

"What's the matter mom?"

"Well, I just got off the phone with the hospital. You know your friend Jonah?"

The twins looked at each other.

"Yeah?" Zack said.

"What about him?" Cody finished.

"Well… apparently, Jonah woke up from his coma and has been missing for the past seven hours."

Zack was shocked.

"You mean to say, Jonah ran away from the hospital?"

"We saw him today at school." Cody said.

Carey's eyes widened. "You boys saw Jonah today?"

"Yeah, he was in class and everything."

"We need to alert the police right away, he's still in critical condition, there might be a chance he could die if nobody finds him."

Once again, upon seeing Jonah, no day afterward would ever be classified as an ordinary day. The series of events had finally been set.  
First, it was the earthquake,  
Second, the return of a mysterious hero, and now the Third event was about to take place,  
a dark secret was about to be unveiled upon the twins' world in which they would not be ready for.

* * *

_please review._


	3. Secrets Exposed: Part 1

_This was supposed to be one really long chapter, but i decided to split it into two otherwise it would be really, REALLY long.  
So instead of the next chapter being the Final Chapter, it is now the second to last chapter. _

_I hope you like what i have so far._

* * *

"_So what's your story?"_ Agnes had said. 

It was happening all over again, the dream in which Cody found himself banging on the locked door. Zack had his feet propped up while the others were doing whatever. It didn't matter, this dream was all about Jonah, his mysterious behavior, and the words he scribbled on paper during class. Cody's mind was in a washer machine of thought. After learning that Jonah ran away from the hospital, it seemed like there was even more to discover than previously thought. This dream wasn't about delving deeper into unknown territory only to find more questions, this time it was about finding answers. Cody willed himself to stop banging on the door. He turned around to face Jonah, sitting alone at the table with a faint smile. Cody began to take control of his own thoughts. His vision of his classmates became obscure, all except the important one.

Under the realization that he had stopped time, Cody leaned in closer to Jonah whose mouth was moving, but without words being said. Jonah had also stared somewhere off into space like he was talking to somebody that wasn't there. As soon as his mouth stopped moving, the reclusive loner would remain still for a moment, and then the faint smile would return. What was he smiling about? This behavior had been overlooked in past dreams. With curiosity unfolded a stronger sense of boldness. Cody got even closer to Jonah to the point his eyes were only five inches away from his lips. Suddenly as if he turned up the volume, a tiny voice began to utter forth.

"_Promise me that this is going to be over, and I will agree."_

Had Jonah been talking to someone? Cody knew there was nobody for Jonah to look at, and yet, a look of sadness foreshadowed those grey eyes that stared faraway into the nothingness.

Cody noticed that an overall sense of fear dwelled inside Jonah, and that he wanted some kind of closure.

" _I'd like to forget this ever happened. I'd like for you to take me away from this prison once and for all."_

Suddenly, the ground shakes, the lights immediately darken, and then Cody closes his eyes, but only for a second.

The moment his eyes reopen, Cody realizes that everything in the universe had been turned sideways. He lifts his head with the understanding that he is on the ground hurt, his good shirt ruined. Jonah appears out of rubble a bloody mess. Cody's dream becomes a blur, but only for a moment. He sits upright to find Jonah across the room observing the destruction, observing his classmates on the ground. His reaction to the situation was nothing short of bizarre. Helping the people that harmed him, why?

Out of all the recurring dream episodes Cody had experienced over the past few weeks, this was the first time he was ever awarded any kind of power to wield throughout this spiritual universe. He could fast forward, rewind different thoughts and emotions, skip the irrelevant, and focus on the missing details. He tried his newfound ability as he replayed Jonah coming to Dakota's aide.

"_She's going into shock, keep her warm."_

"_H-How do you know this?'_

Jonah helping his ridiculers seemed strange enough, but it was only moments later after inhaling a few breaths of smoke Cody felt light headed and began hearing other voices. A considerable amount of time had passed, the flames had erupted, nothing made any sense whatsoever, and only Jonah seemed to understand what was happening. He was on his knees and his head pointed to the ground.

" _Please, forgive me for all the wrong I've done. Take me away, please take me away."_

Slowly, his head lifted up with tears pouring down his face. Jonah looked Cody's direction and appeared startled.

Cody overlooked the fact he was the only kid in the room that was still conscious and able to witness everything that had happened. How did everyone lose consciousness, was it the smoke, or something more? Was this why Jonah thought he 'knew' something he wasn't supposed to?

Jonah's eyes focused back into the nothingness.

The heat intensified, the room had been covered in orange flames, and the kids were so close to lighting on fire that their clothes were starting to smoke, yet they weren't budging.

It was then Jonah shouted, _"We have a deal."_

As the flames began to light Cody's shirt on fire, he started to scream, but nothing came out of his mouth. He closed his eyes really tight and everything disappeared. His eyes opened again, and there were no flames, just a lot of smoke. There was also a massive hole in the wall, like it was the work of an explosive. This was an opportunity to escape, and Cody watched how his classmates immediately regained consciousness with no recollection of ever being asleep. Nobody had waked them; they just got up on their own, and ran to safety. Cody was the last one to leave. As he made his way out of the opening, Cody was blocked from leaving. Jonah stood right in front of him. With a pair of grey eyes staring deep down into Cody's brain, as to search for a resident, an intimidating, yet pleading message was delivered to his soul.

"_Whatever you do, do not tell anyone what you saw."_

Cody had intercepted that message and remembered how those eyes; those powerful storytelling eyes temporarily paralyzed him. It was like staring at a hawk with the ability to read minds. This Hawk had deemed Cody trustworthy that day, therefore allowing him to leave the room with his life intact. After watching his classmates clear past the doors, and watching Zack extend his hand towards Cody to encourage his speed, the twins ran past the doors to the outside where there was safety, and it was then Cody woke up. After many nights of the same dream playing over and over in his mind, this was the furthest Cody had ever gotten, and little did he know, it was going to be the last time he would ever have that dream again, because in the near future, he was going to confront Jonah personally.  


* * *

Chapter 3: Secrets Exposed: Part 1  


It was Tuesday afternoon and Zack and Cody were getting a taxi ride to school; they were very late. Carey had taken the boys down to the police station.  
She felt that it was important for her sons to divulge whatever information they had regarding Jonah. The authorities told the family to remain calm and to let them know immediately if either boy saw Jonah again. Zack sat behind the driver looking out the window.  
He was wondering what Jonah was doing right now. It had now been 18 hours since he escaped from the hospital.

Zack had thought to himself that whenever he and a couple of buddies ditched class, he would find himself hitting up the arcades in the mall, or in the skate shop trying out stuff he couldn't afford. Jonah was different however. He had no friends, and no family to yell at him for doing whatever he wanted. Jonah could pretty much live every kid's fantasy of total anarchy, and yet, while that kid is free of all adult supervision, he's miserable. Zack, or anybody for that matter has never seen him smile. Staring at his own mother in the front seat, Zack realized something about Jonah. Nobody cares what he does; nobody cares what happens to him.  
Society is too busy with all the other Jonah's out there; too busy assigning beds, clothes, food and shelter. Who would they get to track him down?  
That painful truth was obvious once they all left the police station.

"It's just a shame how much people don't care about important matters." Carey said.

She was visually upset about how the authorities handled themselves this morning.

"I'm just in shock that police, the people placed in charge of organizing society, can be so un-organized."

It had been painfully obvious that Jonah had fallen through the cracks. It had taken forever to muster up any information whatsoever on him regardless of the fact he belonged to the state. After an hour of searching, they discovered a one-page file on the computer database that didn't so much as contain a picture.  
It was a small profile that labeled a few obvious things regarding nationality, hair, and eye color. Even that was out of date; the profile said Jonah was nine yeas old.  
It was created way back when they found him. Authorities had yet to locate his past medical history as well as his birth parent's files.  
Not only was it a pathetic display of organization skills, it showed just how unimportant Jonah was. The most disturbing thing however, was the fact that the police officer called the foster care home that Jonah was assigned to, only to find out he ran away from that place two months ago. This made another question arise.  
Why would he still come to school even thought he ran away? 

"Well, where has he been staying?" Carey had asked.

"We're looking into it."

"How is he getting food?"

"Well ma'am, I'm sure if we knew where he was staying…"

"Okay, tell me this officer. Why hasn't the department done anything to that lady who runs the house? I'm sure she was aware that Jonah was missing.  
What kind of caretaker runs that place?" 

The boys knew that their mother was on the warpath. Carey had gotten caught up in Jonah's case a lot more than she should have, and she was beginning to realize this herself. She went from being a simple messenger, to nearly taking over as Jonah's guardian. Now that they were in the taxi, Carey stared out the window asking the boys every two minutes what Jonah looked like in case she could catch a sighting.

"'_We're looking into this case.'_ That's all they could say. Here it is this kid who could be in the middle of nowhere, hurt, and all they can say is '_we're looking into this case'_".

Cody seemed a little disturbed by the final outcome of the visit as well.

"I think we gave them more information on Jonah this morning than they had in all of their computer files."

As the taxi pulled up to the school, the boys were reminded to report upon the first sighting of Jonah. After giving their mother goodbye hugs, Carey began barking orders.

"Look, I know all kids have some secret code of honor between each other to stick together in their pursuits to put us adults through hell, but remember, you're not doing Jonah a favor hiding him from adults. Everyone is trying to **help** him. The best thing you can do is get-him-help."

The twins gave a look as if to say, 'I know already'. Then their mother gave them the all to familiar serious look, the one in which she meant business along the lines of _'don't screw this up'_. Then the doors closed and the taxicab drove off, heading back to the Tipton hotel.

Cody watched the taxi head down the road and then turned to Zack.

"C'mon seriously, why would we want to hide him. Parents, I swear it's like they make up reasons just to be mad."

The school staff and the students had been notified earlier that they were to report any information regarding Jonah to the office immediately. There were a few post ups on the school walls containing Jonah's description. It was the best they could do since there were no pictures of him; it was like putting up a really half assed lost dog poster. Lunchtime was almost over; it was obvious that Jonah was the gossip of the day, again. Some of the claims heard around the school were flat out outrageous, and even somewhat humorous.

"_And so Lewis said to Ashley that Jonah was here at the school yesterday after he killed like three doctors who were trying to hold him captive once they found out his genetic code was like all superhuman or something."_

"_Oh my god you're such a freakin liar, nobody said that!"_

" _Caitlyn, get a life."_

"_I am so not lying, it's just what I heard."_

"_How can someone survive something like that and then show up to school of all places?" _

"_Gawd! Why not the mall or something?"_

"_Seriously."_

"_Yeah, I seen Jonah yesterday, he walked into class. It was like dis, homeboy had a look in his eye, like he was going to bust out some full on "Carrie" shit, you know what I'm talkin bout? Y'know that movie when she does that spiritualistic voodoo on dem white girls that kept messin wit her, except this was diff'rent. He walks in all gangsta, actin like he aint got hurt an all, sittin in the class like nuthin but a G thang." _

"_Dude, you're not even black."_

"_Yo Momma!"_

"_Please, just stop."_

Cody figured this was pretty much how it was going to be for the rest of the day. Jonah had once again boosted his status as a mythological being, and without even trying. He makes a brief appearance after the most catastrophic event to ever happen to a bunch of students, and then disappears just as fast. This was a borderline comic book script. But, you could bet that Spider-Man probably wished for this kind of publicity in his favor.

Zack walked slowly behind his brother. They passed by the same bathroom Jonah was discovered in yesterday. Zack thought about going in there just to check the bathroom stalls, but then again, if Jonah ran away, it was doubtful that he'd be in the same place. Cody turned around to see what was keeping Zack. Cody was usually the one behind, or at least, traveling side by side with his brother down the hallway. He waited for Zack to catch up.

"Boy, you're awfully slow today."

Once again, Zack missed another opportunity for one of his wisecracks. He didn't even retaliate, that was a clearly an opening for an insult.

Instead, Cody was given an odd question to answer.

"What do you think Jonah might be doing?"

Cody shrugged his shoulders.

"I have no clue. He could be anywhere."

Zack looked around at all the other students. He was beginning to notice how self centered everybody was with Jocks hanging out in one spot, and rich girls in another spot. Basically, all the students had their own species to hang out with, and yet, nobody really cared about each other past whatever gossip came their way.  
Looking back towards the ground he spoke softly. 

"Yeah, that's what everybody's been saying. But have they 'really' thought about it?"

Cody became curious as to what his brother meant. Zack walked a few more feet before he turned around.

"I mean, where would a kid who has no friends, no family, no place to go, be found?"

Cody started to notice a shift of behavior in Zack lately that had been throwing him for a loop. It wasn't like his brother to wonder about these kinds of things.  
Ever since they came home from the hospital, Zack had been watching for every emergency exit he came across, he had been waking up early, sometimes in the middle of the night to check on everybody, and he even volunteered to do laundry, claiming that he didn't want to stress mom. Since when did he start caring about stressing anybody? 

Cody leaned down to try and make eye contact.

"Zack, are you okay?"

He didn't say anything right away; Zack paused and then tried to shrug it off.

"What are you talking about, of course I'm okay."

Cody assured him,  
"You know, it's okay to say what you feel sometimes." 

Zack's eyebrows folded quizzically.  
"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you've been acting so strange lately that it's starting to freak me out."

"I haven't been acting strange, you're just paranoid."

"No. You're the paranoid one." Cody fired back.

Zack gave a sarcastic laugh before he walked away from Cody.

"This is totally pointless."

"Just how many times are you going to get up in the middle of the night, huh?"

Zack paused for about three seconds before he turned back around. He looked a little surprised, like he had been trying to keep that a secret.

"Yeah that's right. I know you get up every night to check the stove, relock the doors, and open the cabinets under the sink where the fire extinguisher is.  
Zack, you're a mess. I think you should talk to someone." 

"You think I do all of that because I'm paranoid? You really don't know anything do you? Most fires that happen in a house, or in this case a hotel get started because the stove was left on. Most idiots don't think of things like that, and then before they know it, they're dead. You should be glad I'm taking responsibility. Isn't that what you always ramble about anyway?"

Cody could see that Zack was getting a little defensive, but he had to say what he felt.

"Okay, I'll give you that one… just for fun. Why check up on mom every night like she's going somewhere? Or, why don't you explain why you just can't seem to take off your shoes when you go to bed, like you have to get a head start or something."

"That was **one** time, and that was because I just forgot to take them off, that's all."

"You never forgot before."

"Look, why don't you just drop this subject okay."

Zack tried to back away but Cody stepped closer.  
"Fine, lets change the subject. What's your sudden obsession with Jonah?" 

"What are you talking about, what obsession? I'm just curious like everyone else is."

"Yeah, but you're _really_ obsessed. Almost everything you've talked about the past few weeks even **before** Jonah ran away from the hospital was,

' _I wonder if Jonah will fully recover',_

' _How many times do you think Jonah got beat up in school?'_

' _If I were Jonah, I would've kicked Josh's ass.' _

And now, the most recent, '_what do you think Jonah might be doing right now?'_"

Zack tried fighting back.

"Those were simple questions, you're throwing this whole freakin thing out of whack."

Cody knew he had Zack on the ropes, and Zack knew it too. He tried to fight off his brother's onslaught but Cody, and even more importantly, Zack himself knew that there was no way out. He tried to leave again, and Cody let him take about three steps before he continued the interrogation. 

"You took what I said personally didn't you?"

Zack was irritated. He stopped in his tracks again, throwing his arms up in frustration.  
"Now what are you rambling about?" 

"You feel guilty, don't you?" Cody said with a tone of understanding.

"Feel guilty about what? I have nothing to feel guilty about."

"I can tell when you don't believe what you're saying. You feel guilty for what happened don't you?"

There was a short pause; Zack was losing his momentum in the argument. He wanted to retaliate Cody's offensive tackle, but he didn't have the conviction needed to shut him down, so all Zack was left with was a weak, pathetic attempt to shift the tides into a battle of 'cool, older brother' VS 'weak pathetic twin who knows nothing' argument.

"You know what, you can just shut up. I'm getting tired of you, and your so-called scientific hypothesis about what I'm "supposedly" going through."

"It all makes sense… You feel bad for not helping Jonah when you had the chance. And, now that he saved your life, mine too, you've been feeling guilty this whole time haven't you?"

"You seriously don't know what you're talking about. Cody, you have these weird fantasies of being my savior, the one with all the answers to my problems. Just stick to the math and chemistry books, you're not a psychic."

Zack thought that playing on Cody's insecurities would help, but Cody wasn't backing down.

"I told you to go find yourself a soul, and you've been thinking about that all this time."

Zack became aggravated,

"I said Shut Up!"

The bell rang letting the students know lunch was over. As the hallways crowded with kids running towards their classrooms, all remained oblivious to the silent war that brewed in the center of the crowd. The twins stared at each other, knowing whoever moved first would lose the battle. Cody watched Zack's hands shake.  
It was that nervous twitch, the kind a person made when they didn't know what else to do. Instead of relishing in the fact he had beaten his brother at his own game for once, Cody remembered the reason why this argument started in the first place. He wanted to help his brother despite the fact Zack didn't want to accept what he had to say.  
The hallways had finally cleared and it was just the two of them. 

"Zack, you don't have to feel bad for feeling bad. I know you can be an asshole sometimes but I didn't think you were soulless. It was only an expression."

Zack seemed stirred, like he was about to cry but was doing his best to hold back.

"Yeah, it used to be an expression, but what happens when you find out that it's the truth?"

Cody seemed a bit confused. He was trying to understand Zack but he couldn't. It was obvious that something was truly bothering him. Cody tried to make eye contact but Zack looked away.

"You want to know what my obsession with Jonah is? Do you really want to know?"

Zack looked at his brother with a pair of red eyes. His expression changed from anger to sadness.

"He hates me you know. That kid hates me because of the way I treated him… and I totally deserve it."

"What are you talking about?" Cody asked.

"I told you how I saw him in the bathroom, how pale and sick he looked. I wanted to help him, I wanted to help him so bad but he wouldn't let me.  
He saw me as an enemy. He was talking to himself in the mirror, wishing his own life away, hoping somebody was listening, and there was nobody.  
Nobody was there to help him." 

Tears escaped Zack's eyes; he turned away from his brother, feeling weak, as well as embarrassed.

"I can't sleep anymore, knowing that he's out there in need of a friend who can help him. I can't sleep knowing that the only reason I'm alive is because of him, and I can't return the favor because he doesn't trust me. I can't sleep because I know I should be dead! I wake up at night because I still find it hard to believe that I managed to survive that- that deathtrap!"

This time, Cody was without words. He was beginning to realize how much this whole thing had affected Zack. It wasn't easy seeing his brother drop tears.  
Physical pain, Cody could understand, like spankings, falling down stairs, yeah, pain that Zack could normally respond to with a teardrop or two.  
But, never in Cody's life had he ever seen Zack emotionally express his pain because of something he felt inside. It was like a secret had been exposed.  
Zack actually had a heart, and a good one too. It was also true that Cody felt just as bad for Jonah. Only difference is, Cody thought he was the **only** one.  
It was quite amazing, how just a few weeks ago a cycle had been set into motion in which one boy would change the lives of everyone that had come into contact with him. For what it seemed at the moment, it was for the better. Jonah had caused Zack to find something deep inside of him that literally changed what he thought about the world overnight. And Cody, well Cody had become witness to something spectacular that only he saw. It was indeed a miracle of some sort.  
Jonah was the cause of that; he was proof that there were still some amazing things to discover in life. Cody knew whether he ever saw Jonah again or not, he would never forget him. He once again looked at his brother Zack who had quickly dried his eyes and cleared his throat. He then placed an arm over his newly discovered brother's shoulder and smiled. 

"Hey Zack, why don't we just… forget about the past for now, huh? You and I are both alive and that's all that counts right, I mean, why let it hang over you?Face it, you got a second chance, just learn to live with it and keep going. "

Strangely enough, this was the first thing Zack ever heard Cody say that made perfect sense.

"What book did you steal that from?"

Silent laughs were exchanged between the two.

Then Zack gave his brother an awkward look.

"Since when did you start 'livin on the edge?"

Cody thought for a second.

"I think it was the moment **you** stopped."

They both walked to class and the rest of the school day just passed on by. Once the bell rang, Zack decided to take his brothers advice by taking off after school with some of his buddies. As usual, Cody stayed after school in the library so he could catch up on assignments, readings, whatever. But, for some reason, studying felt a little repetitive today. For a while he gave it no more thought, until boredom began to settle in. His newfound sense of being alive started to take over. Cody actually wanted to follow his own advice. He closed up his books, looked outside and realized there was at least another hour of sunlight. It was time to try something different; it was time to be daring, bold, and spontaneous! Yes, the urge became great! He couldn't contain the primal rage burning inside to rip away from the mold he had so carefully built for himself all these years! Cody decided that he was going to leave two hours early, go home, take the bike Zack never let him ride, and go out on a cruise. Yes, daring!!!

Well at least it was a start…

For Cody, it all seemed like a perfect way to end the day.

The sun had almost gone down, Zack had already come home, and Cody was on his way back from touring the city. With a street pretzel in his hand, and a soda in the other, he realized that he would need both hands to ride the bike home, so he had to sit down somewhere until he finished eating. There really was no rush to get back, seeing how there was only a half-mile left to travel before he got home anyway. It had been a while since Cody did anything out of the ordinary. Spontaneity actually felt pretty good, and the fresh air helped as well. It allowed him to think, about everything. Cody thought about his dreams, how he had forced himself to remember events that he never knew happened. Did his imagination fill in the blanks or were these real memories? Many puzzle pieces had been created and it was up to that brain of his to piece them all together. Cody's thought process was interrupted when he felt something buzzing in his pocket.

"Hello?"

"Cody, I called like three times, do you ever pick up your cell-phone?"

"Zack, I'm talking to you right now aren't I?"

"Where are you?"

"I took the bike out for a spin, I'm heading towards home now, I've got a lot of homework to finish."

Zack laughed over the mouthpiece.

"You actually went outside _before_ you finished your homework? I'm so proud of you."

"I'm not making it a habit or anything, I just needed a break."

"Yeah, well mom's on her way upstairs and she said there's news from the police station about Jonah."

"Did they find him?"

"Nyeh, I don't think so, but mom said it was important. She thinks it might have to do with _blah blah blah…_"

As Cody listened to his brother ramble over the phone, a very familiar face caught his eye across the street. Toting a red backpack over his shoulder, his head hung low and his focus seemed disoriented. You could see those faded cargo pants wither upon that frail, defeated body.

Cody had to act fast.

"Okay, uh, let me call you back… bye."

Cody stayed still, he squinted his eyes for a better look. The kid was on the street for a second, and then just as quickly disappeared behind an alleyway.

He knew it was Jonah.

Somehow, the decision to flat out run towards him, yelling his name didn't feel right. Cody didn't want to chase him off. He figured if it were already this hard for police to catch him, he'd have an even lesser shot at it.

What should have been the perfect time to call home for help, Cody decided not to. There had to be a reason why Jonah ran away and Cody intended to find out.

All of these things that were happening in his life had to be explained. He had never been so confused.

It's been said that dreams always have a significant relevance in our lives. Either a dream reveals a future course of action, or something as simple as coming to understand a truth about 'who you are.' Cody believed in this very much so. Because, he had been replaying the school incident in his mind over and over since the day it happened, Cody couldn't figure out if he was supposed to discover a hidden message within the fiery flames, or find out the real story behind Jonah's sacrifice. Cody knew after this morning that he would have to confront Jonah in order to find truth, and this was his chance.

It was getting darker by the minute and the streetlights were starting to turn on. There wasn't much time left to waste.

End Part 1

* * *

_i'll try to post the other half as soon as i'm done. _

_please review:) _

* * *


	4. Secrets Exposed: Part 2

Secrets Exposed: Part 2

He moved as if he were in a dream, unafraid of pain, sickness, or even death. His body cried out to his brain 'enough! You are not well…' but the spirit was stronger than the flesh. He continued to move further down a road that would lead to nowhere. It was as if Jonah had a destiny to fulfill. He looked up towards to sky. Was it going to rain? Would he be able to survive one more night like this?

Jonah walked within the claustrophobic space of the rectangular cul-de-sac in search for that destiny. With a headache coercing throughout his temples he had no concept of what time it was, it didn't really matter. All Jonah knew was what his tired, cold, and half starved body told him. The wound on his torso begged for anything to stop the cold from stinging. His frail legs wobbled within every step he took. Colorful spots washed over his vision a hailstorm of pandemonium, destroying all that made sense. And yet, that wasn't the worst of it.

It had been like this for the past few nights, the same agonizing torture. Was this going to be the night he found what he had been looking for, or would he continue to live another day. He prayed for it all to end, he wished for it in every breath he took. The thoughts were vague at first, but as time passed, and one year came after another, it all became clear to Jonah. It was like he was internally bleeding the knowledge that he didn't want, spilling the truth.  
Deep within the hell of his heart lied every reason to continue living, continue bleeding, for it was proof that he had not been forgiven. By whom, only he knew.  
Yes, his thoughts had become clearer by the day. Jonah would only find peace in death. 

His shoes splashed into the shallow water below. With eyes focused on his mirrored likeness, Jonah spoke to the scattering waves.

"For a really long time I didn't know why I was still here. But it's going to be okay from now on. I was starting to feel like I was back at that house all over again, the two of us. My skin gets irritated just from thinking about it. But it doesn't matter anymore, it'll all be over soon"

Suddenly, Jonah heard footsteps. His attention diverts, he swings his body in rapid motion, a swift movement that his weak body could not handle.  
Jonah grew lightheaded and shifted his weight to the side just enough to collapse onto a bag of trash and miss the asphalt.  
Fortunately, he had not lost consciousness. 

While yet to identify the stranger intruding his privacy, something else caught Jonah's attention.

The smell of fried potatoes pierced his senses. With his trembling hands, Jonah ripped open a bag in search for anything that could stop the growling pain in his stomach. With a little bit of digging, he found a source of temporary relief within a small bag. They were fries, hanging limply in his palms.  
Jonah's eyes widened when he reached in and grabbed one. Before one reached his mouth, a not so distant voice shouted 'HEY' and it startled Jonah, causing the bag to fall to the ground and the fries to spill into the murky water just two inches below. 

The pain stricken boy looked behind him to see a figure standing over him, his frame outlined by the streetlight.

"Jonah. It's me Cody. You remember me from school?"

Jonah's poor vision couldn't make out the face. A part of him wanted to move away but he lacked the strength. It wasn't until he desperately tried to crawl away from the stranger that Jonah was offered a reason to stay.

"Here, it's for you. Take it."

Waving in front of his face was a street pretzel, glistening with butter and flakes of salt. It was simply irresistible. Jonah snatched it away from the hand as if the offer was time limited. He bit into the soft dough furiously, almost choking. Once again the strangers hand returned with a soda. Jonah wasn't sure at first which hand would release their grip on the pretzel in order to grab the other treasure; his impulses took over and made the choice instead. With coke in hand he took one sip, and then four.

The stranger didn't leave however, not that Jonah really cared anymore. The figure crouched down and leaned forward.

"Are you alright?"

Jonah said nothing; he didn't even look away from his food. Again, the stranger made another offering by taking off his jacket to place it over his body.

"!!!?"

Jonah flinched, but the instant warmth felt comforting and it was a welcoming change.

"It's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you, I just want you to have this okay?"

Cody sat there and watched Jonah eat as if it were his last meal. He felt a little sick inside wondering if this is how Jonah had been living this whole time even before escaping the hospital. What could his reasons have been for running away?

Was somebody hurting him? Did something actually happen to him while he was at that house? The only way to get those answers would be to ask, but it's not that simple.

Usually when people run away from somewhere, it's because they've decided that they want to stop talking, they want to stop looking for reasons to continue living the way they do. All Cody could do right now was wait for any indication that Jonah was ready to speak. Right now, he couldn't so much as get eye contact.

'_And the day seemed to be going so well'_ Cody thought. This was probably something that he wouldn't tell Zack. The way his brother acted earlier, Cody wasn't sure if Zack would be able to accept the fact that this situation was not his fault. This was clearly beyond anything that could've been caused by a school incident. Jonah seemed to be in his own little world, much like a pigeon that flew out of nowhere to pick at bread that randomly appeared, unaware of the source, only the need. The kid was like some kind of wild animal seeking only the necessary elements needed for survival, unaware of manners, no longer obsessed with taste, touch, or smell. Strands of hair covered his face; his clothes were stained with the city. Cody knew there was no way he could leave him like that.

After Jonah had finished eating, he wrapped his greasy fingers around Cody's jacket and pulled it even tighter around his body. Still, he made no eye contact. Jonah began to shake, it wasn't a seizure, but still, it was alarming. There was a change in his breathing as well. What used to be a steady flow of air escaping the lungs became a wheeze.

Cody placed his hands over his own hair and then took a deep breath.

'_Holy Geez. What have I gotten myself in to? This- is- intense! There's no way I can handle this on my own.'_ Cody was a little panicked to say the least. Sure, he liked being the kid everyone went to for help, or at least wished. School newspapers with advice columns are one thing, but this was something completely out of his league. This kid could be dying.

The streetlights became brighter, the skies got even darker. Cody had a million thoughts racing in his head.

" _I have to call for help, but if I call for help this kid will freak out and probably try and run for it! I can't 'not' call either. But if Jonah runs, he could really hurt himself. I can't make him panic…"_

Cody felt that the best way to handle this whole thing would be to imitate the people that he saw on a '911 emergency' episode.

'_Okay, okay, nice and easy Cody. Don't panic, don't… oh crap I'm panicking! Be cool. Be calm. Stop shaking. Just, just do it the way you saw it on T.V. Start with simple questions, keep the victim engaged in conversation…'_

"Uh… Do you remember me Jonah?"

Jonah made no attempt to reply.

'_Aw Crap, he's not talking. He's not even looking. Of course the victim always talks on T.V. but why can't mine talk, huh? Why do I have to get the one that doesn't talk? Dammit. This is just like everything else in my life; I get half assed results in everything I do. I'm never first in line; I'm never picked for sports, why did I think I could do this? I'm a failure at everything. This is just great. Not even a doctor and I already killed my first patient.' _

Police sirens could be heard in the distance. Jonah's eyes lit up in fear. He tried to get enough balance to stand up but he couldn't, his legs were too weak. Immediately he dropped back down on the trash bags. The sirens came closer and then faded away into the distance. He could rest easy, for now. His wheezing was getting a little louder. Again, like a wild animal, the possibility of being caught, trapped, was an unbearable feeling of both tension and fear. Jonah couldn't stop fidgeting or rubbing his fingers constantly across the fabric of the jacket. It seemed like he had pulled himself into an even tighter shell than before, if that was even possible. His heart and soul seemed to reject all forms of human contact. Jonah still never made eye contact with Cody. He seemed 'lost' somehow. Cody thought for a second about the time Jonah walked into class before the whole earthquake and fire incidents. Staring at him like this on the floor of an alleyway, some of the remarks the kids at school made seemed to hold water.

'_So freak, did you have a good night sleeping in your holding chamber?' _

That's what Jonah looked like at the moment, something out of a horror movie, like Frankenstein, the freak that got out of his holding chamber. Cody felt bad for thinking about it. Even though it was only a thought, it still felt like he had said it aloud.

"You're, that kid." Jonah whispered.

There was silence. The voices in Cody's head shut up. The tension lifted.

'_Whew, I was freakin out for a second there.'_

Cody was relieved to know that even though Jonah looked really sick and delirious, his memory was still intact.

'_Okay, good. This is good. I've got him talking, that's really, really good. What should I do? What should I say? C'mon Cody just say something'_

"Um, Yeah… Yes! I'm that kid. I-I saw you from across the street. You looked pretty bad. I just wanted to come over here to help you."

Jonah tilted his head in curiosity. In a way it felt a little comforting that he was capable of emitting a different emotion, but what he said next sent chills down Cody's spine.

"It's a little too late for that-"

Cody didn't understand. What was Jonah trying to say? Usually in all the stories he reads, the type of person who says that it's too late to save him means he's going to die.

"-I don't need anybody's help anymore. I'm going home with my family."

Jonah finished.

"Y-Your family?"

Jonah made no reply. Instead he wrapped the jacket sleeves around the rest of his body and laid his head on the trash bag. Wincing in pain, there was no doubt he was very weak. Cody was very intrigued. He had never heard anything about Jonah actually having a family. Then again, there was a lot he didn't know about Jonah. One thing he did know for certain, was that Jonah would need help soon, he wasn't looking too good. The dilemma, how would Cody be able to do it and not freak him out.

"You're not an orphan? But I thought…"

Jonah slightly lifted his head.

" It doesn't matter what anyone thinks. I knew they were going to come back for me one day; it was only a matter of time. For years, mother sent me messages. I heard every single one of them. Her enemies kept telling me to forget, but I never did. I-never-forgot."

Cody's cell phone began to buzz in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw a brand new text message from Zack.

"whR R U?"

"_Man, what a crappy speller."_ He thought. Cody kept the phone in his hand but did his best to hide it from suspicious eyes. He wanted to keep Jonah talking.

"Enemies? Why were they trying to make you forget?"

Jonah's plain face turned into an angry frown.

"…Because they are all cruel, they didn't want me to believe she was coming back. They are the enemies that mother warned me about. She said that they would try to make you forget everything, make you live the way they wanted you to. Sure, we were separated for a long time. I was even beginning to doubt that she would come back, or anybody for that matter. But now I don't have to worry anymore. The entire family is coming for me tonight."

"That's great Jonah, that's really great. I'm happy for you."

Jonah's frown disappeared.

"Why did you run away?" Cody asked.

"I knew that they wouldn't let me go back to my family, they wouldn't understand. I had to go far, far away from all the people that would try to stop me. It's not easy being stuck in a place where everyone is against you in everything you do. They shatter every single one of your dreams before you can even imagine them."

"wha…?"

Jonah wasn't making much sense.

'_Is that what this whole thing was about then? Jonah was running away to meet his family? It seems to be enough reason to want to escape, I guess. But still, there are a lot of things that just aren't clear. He seems paranoid, like somebody is out to get him. Why on earth would anyone want to stop him?'_

Then for the first time, Jonah made eye contact with Cody.

"You can't tell anyone about this. You can't tell anyone anything about all of the things you've seen."

This was becoming a complicated situation to say the least. In fact, right now Cody thought that Jonah made more sense in the dreams than he did in reality. At least in dreams he could fast forward and rewind certain things he didn't understand. But then again, what he thought he understood didn't make any sense either. Between the constant hounding about not telling anyone what he saw, and fighting through the same dream over and over, there seemed to be a massive gap between the recurring dream and reality. In one universe, Jonah is lying on the ground in a dark alleyway after escaping from a hospital, hurt and seemingly confused about everything, and in the other universe, he has overwhelming power and control over everything that happens. Which part was real, did both sides co- exist? Maybe this whole thing was not supposed to make complete sense. Life has a way of working itself around everyone's storyline. It creates its own plots instantly, leaving no room for gaps.

"You wont tell anyone will you?" Jonah pleaded.

Any other time in his life, Cody would have made the rational decision to ignore the pleas and get Jonah the help that he desperately needed, but something was different. Cody had a debt to repay. He owed this kid his life, as well as his allegiance. His brother owed him. As a matter of fact, seven lives were owed to him. What choice was he supposed to make? He could either call for help and destroy whatever hope Jonah had for his future, or keep shut about everything and let the natural course of things take place. The decision was hard.

For a moment Cody hesitated. But then right as he said the words, he immediately wanted to take them back.

"Your secret is safe with me."

'_What a dumb thing to say. Why make that promise?' _

But somehow, it also felt right, like a part of Cody's dream made sense. The part where he noticed the outcast with the faint smile painted across his face, seemingly unaffected by those that ridiculed him earlier, like he found an answer to his own problems. Jonah had found a way around all of the bad things that were going on, because he found something worth fighting for, his freedom. Whatever 'enemies' he had to face, he was doing everything in his power to keep them from taking over. In a way, Jonah was both powerful and powerless. Whichever one he truly was, Cody would put his trust in Jonah's request. Perhaps the dream was a message for Cody. Where he found himself powerless within the fiery flames, Jonah acted as his savior, and in this world here and now, Jonah is the one without any power. Maybe it was time for Cody to be the hero that Jonah desperately needed in his life.

Jonah's wheezing started to die down. To Cody's relief, he began breathing normal again.

"Thank you," he said. "Nobody's ever been that nice to me before."

Maybe this was probably the best thing he could do for Jonah. Treat him like a friend. It was always something that lonely people desperately wished for anyway, people to like and accept them for who they were instead of being forced to pretend.

Cody smiled.

"Must feel pretty good knowing that somebody's coming. You know, I don't see my dad too much either... He's usually out and about traveling from city to city. I know everybody thinks I'm not bothered by it, but I really am. Sometimes I wish he'd stop by and visit more often. But, what can you do? I don't have much childhood left and before anyone knows it, it'll be too late to make up for lost time. I guess, I kinda understand. If you have a chance to make things right, then that's pretty cool."

That's when Jonah smiled for the first time. It was a real smile, not forced. This made Cody happy too. It's not like he had a bunch of buddies to call his own either, he was lucky to have whatever friends he got. It was always Zack who made all of the friends while Cody tagged along for the ride. Perhaps if he had started all over again with Jonah, they could've made really good friends if one gave the other a chance.

It was getting even later. Cody knew that he should be getting back but there was still that one problem, what was he going to do about Jonah. He obviously wasn't well enough to take care of himself at the moment. But what about this kids family, were they supposed to pick him up or something? Jonah wasn't very clear about how this whole thing was supposed to work.

"They'll be here soon. I know it."

Jonah seemed very confident that after so many years of loneliness that his dreams were going to come true on this very night. He sat up just a little as he waited in anticipation, the same way a kid waits for his father to pick him up for the weekend.

Besides the passing of cars every few minutes, there was a remaining silence between the two. It had been twenty minutes since either said anything. Cody knew that he was going to be in big trouble when he got home, which was a rarity in itself but he knew that this entire situation was pretty rare too. He felt a sense of discomfort knowing that there were people out there looking for Jonah right now, and while he had the power to stop the entire search, here he was sitting next to him. Those words his mom said earlier about not keeping Jonah a secret from grown ups, what would she say now? She would raise hell if she found out about this. And what would Zack say? The discomfort turned into fear.

"Uh… What time did you say they were coming?"

"Soon. They're coming very soon. You don't have to stay."

"But I want to. I just want to make sure you get to where you're going, that's all."

Despite the truth in those words, Cody had something else on his mind as well. It was possible that Jonah would be leaving this very night. There was a question that he had to ask before it was too late. For what seemed forever, Cody dreamed of Jonah and his mysterious behavior. From knocking on the door in the classroom to stopping time and revealing another side to a story he was unaware of, it was evident that Jonah knew something that nobody else did. Every time Cody dreamed, his focus shifted from the actual earthquake and fire, to Jonah. Those words of desperation he pleaded had a certain meaning behind them.

"_Promise me that this is going to be over, and I will agree."_

" _I'd like to forget this ever happened. I'd like for you to take me away from this prison once and for all."_

" _Please, forgive me for all the wrong I've done. Take me away, please take me away."_

And then there was that one phrase that baffled him the most, the words that ceased all fires and destruction.

"_We have a deal."_

There was some rustling in a nearby garbage can. A rat came crawling out slowly, its coat drenched with vanilla milkshake. As it made way towards Cody's pant leg, the small animal saw the future of its demise within the hand of a blond headed executioner. A rock, twice the rodent's size, slyly rose from the ground and was aimed at the skull.

Before fate came crashing down from the heavens, a different pair of hands came to its rescue, sweeping the creature from harm.

That was when Jonah gave Cody the evil eye.

"You shouldn't kill things just because you don't know anything about them!"

"But… it was about to"

"There are too many people like you in this world who do nothing but cause pain and suffering to others that do nothing to deserve it."

Jonah turned his focus onto the little creature. The rat began to smell the butter and salt over the fingers that kept it confined. Soon enough, the creature started licking all over the index finger. Cody watched intently as this kid treated the animal as if it were a precious little treasure. Jonah rubbed the small hairy back of the little rodent, his eyes glazed with eerie obsession.

"You… see something that you don't like, and the first thing that comes to mind is, 'how do I get rid of it?"

The rat began gnawing on the outer layer of flesh. Cody winced as he saw a tiny droplet of blood form. Jonah remained unaffected by the attack. His eyes looked intently upon the creature, he enjoyed its animalistic nature, and he enjoyed watching it tear into his skin. That's when his voice deepened.

"In the beginning, everyone's secretive about it. Then they try to make it seem like the negativity you feel… is just a part of your imagination. Heh… That's when they step it up a notch and start carving into the surface, the flesh. They have secret names for you, like freak."

More blood was coming out, what starts as droplets soon becomes a tiny river. Still, Jonah was unaffected.

"Oh, but it doesn't stop there… suddenly you're no longer considered human. That's when the worst things happen. They just-won't-stop. They... keep on tearing into you. Everything you are, everything you wish to become, matters to nobody. And before you know it…"

He gently clasped his fingers over the rat.

"The world begins to close in on you."

And then Jonah began to squeeze the rat. Cody shuts his eyes and turns his head away, but he could not shield his ears from the rodent screaming in agony.

"As the world begins to disappear, you suffocate!  
You suffer!  
You scream!  
You beg for a way out! No! More than that!  
You beg for Vengeance!!!" 

Blood pours down Jonahs hand as he violently shakes the remaining life out of the creature. It now lay still in his hand. Jonah was moved to tears by its motionless poetry. Death, the source of eternal peace. Cody noticed that Jonah was beginning to show the traits of a psychopath. what used to be a calm and quiet loner was now anger filled and unafraid to demonstrate it. was this a supressed feeling that found its way to the surface or was this a new developement? It was a cause of concern.

Tears continued to roll down Jonah's face.

"But, is it right to feel this way, knowing that no matter what you do, you will always feel empty inside? Does it matter if they come for me tonight and take me away from this place, this world?" 

"What do you mean by, this world? I thought they were coming to pick you up."

"They **are** coming for me… And so are the monsters."

"The monsters?!? Jonah, what are you talking about, what monsters?"

Jonah buried his face into the jacket and turned away. It was then he actually started to cry.

"The monsters that used to hurt me. They're coming back for me."

"Hey, hey, it's okay calm down, it's okay."

Jonah's wheezing had returned. Cody was really scared; he didn't know what to do. He was a total idiot for not calling for help. This kid had some serious problems and Cody was playing little childish games with him. This kid, this wild animal had himself curled into a ball at the end of an alleyway, in the freezing cold. This was a major red flag, he could be mentally ill. It was time he got Jonah help. Cody tried to be as comforting as possible, but while he was trying to keep Jonah occupied with conversation, he began to text an urgent message to Zack's phone.

'_Found Jonah. Help!'_

"Hey Jonah, Jonah look at me, please. Look at me."

Jonah lifted his head from under the jacket. He was a scared little boy. His eyes were tainted with fear and confusion. Cody did his best to remain strong.

"Tell me about the monsters."

"When you were young, did you ever have monsters?" Jonah asked

"Yeah, I think everyone did at one time or another, I remember Zack always made fun of me."

"Well, what if you had monsters that never left even after you thought they went away? What if you had monsters that would torment you every moment of every day? Wouldn't you do anything to put an end to it, even make… a deal?

Cody visualized the dream sequence. He remembered the flames lighting his shirt on fire, the silent screaming. Everything disappeared when his eyes were closed. Then there was nothing but the smoke and the hole in the wall, like it was the work of an explosive. Freedom had presented itself, and Cody watched how his classmates immediately regained consciousness with no recollection of ever being asleep. And Jonah, he stood there in total control of everything. All these things took place in the course of a few minutes.

Stunned by the powerful connection between the dream and reality, Cody was moved to ask the simple, but complicated question.

"What kind of a deal?"

Jonah released his grip on the dead rat and watched its lifeless body fall to the pavement.

" I was upset at the time, I wanted vengeance, I only wanted to end the pain, that's all. I didn't want to live in this world anymore… the mean things that others would say, the cruelty, they're evil… they're all evil!!!"

Cody's phone buzzed. Zack returned the message.

"_whR did U fnd hmm?"_

Cody couldn't reply. He secretly toyed with the phone trying to turn it to complete silence.

"Jonah, you said you wanted vengeance. What did you do?"

Jonah dried his eyes but kept looking down at the dead rat.

"You can only treat someone like a monster for so long… until they become a monster. The earthquake changed everything. It was never supposed to be like this.  
I… I'm not supposed to be here anymore." 

Cody's blood ran cold.

'_Oh no, please don't tell me what I think you're trying to tell me. Please don't let it be that. I know life's been rough, but not that.' _

"Jonah, you're not well, I think you need help. I think you've been alone for too long."

Jonah's speech began to slur. He started talking very slowly. He blinked lightly as if something came over him.

"Don't you see? Nothing matters anymore. I can't be helped. It will all be over soon. Everything will end the way it should."

"Wait a minute Jonah, what are you saying?"

Jonah slowly reached into the left pocket of his cargo pants and pulled out three empty bottles. They were sleeping pills.

"I'm glad that I didn't have to be alone when these things finally took over… sometimes waiting is the hardest part."

The bottles dropped to the ground and scattered every which way. Cody was horrified.

What the hell was he thinking by helping keep all of this a secret? He sacrificed all practical wisdom and threw it down the drain because he thought that some kid filled with mystery had all the answers to life. If this was his way of avoiding all past mistakes, overcoming obstacles and finding a different path in life, he obviously didn't know as much as Cody thought he did. This wasn't some angel stuck in a dark world, or even a person that had any kind of control whatsoever. Jonah was a sick, confused kid who obviously had nothing to live for.

"You were the first friend I've ever met… the only friend I've ever met. I'm glad I was able to meet you... Cody."

"Shut up Jonah! Just shut up! I'm calling 911, and I'm going to save your life!"

"W-What? Why?"

"I-can-not be-lieve that I listened to you at all! You think that this is, what, how it's supposed to be Jonah?"

"You're missing the point. I don't have to be controlled anymore. I don't have to do bad things anymore."

"It doesn't matter what you did! You can always start over, this is NOT the answer!"

Cody began to dial.

"Put the phone down." Jonah demanded.

"Shut up."

"You're just like all the others. You want me to suffer."

"Jonah I'm going to help you whether you want it or not."

Suddenly, it was as if the drugs had taken no affect at all. A certain power came over Jonah that gave him the strength to slowly but surely rise off of the trash bags and stand on his two feet. His face filled with anger, his heart full of rage. One hand was balled into a fist, the other, hidden behind his back. He looked directly at Cody.

"I said… put the phone down!"

Cody paid no attention to him. He turned his back to him as his call went through.

'_911 emergency.'_

"I need your help. I have a friend who"

That was as far as Cody got before everything turned into spots and colors. Something hard smashed onto the top of his head causing him to lose consciousness. The phone dropped to the floor and soon after, he joined. As his face slapped across the pavement, Cody listened to the last words of Jonah before darkness took over.

"We all have a destiny. I don't care who you are; I'm not going to let you get in the way of it. I'm not going to let you stop me from reuniting with the family that abandoned me so long ago."

Five minutes later Cody woke up. There was no sign of Jonah. He saw a small rock on the ground with a tiny drop of blood on the top. He touched his head to find the source. It was definitely from him. The phone lay on the ground open. There were 9 missed calls, all Zack. Cody hit the redial button. It only had to ring once before Zack was on the line.

"Where the hell are you, you said you'd be home almost two hours ago. Mom is freaking out! She's in the other room calling the police."

"Zack, tell mom to get the police and the paramedics down to the alleyway next to the Pretzel stand, right now."

"What's going on, is Jonah okay? Are you okay?"

"He's trying to kill himself."

There was silence on the other end.

"Zack, I need you to do it now, he said he's trying to meet up with his parents tonight or something. They all might be trying to do some crazy cult suicide thing."

"What? Jonah's parents?"

"Zack there's no time"

"Cody that's why I was telling you to come home. I told you mom had some news about Jonah. Some important news."

"What news?"

"Jonah's parents are already dead."

"Wait, what?"

"Jonah's parents have been dead for over five years!"

* * *

_well that took forever to post.  
i hope you liked it because everything i've done up to this point has been geared towards this next chapter. _

_i really dont want to screw it up.  
_

_stay tuned for the next chapter titled, Flames of the Past Reborn. _

reviews are welcome...  
Oh forget it, i'll just beg. PUH-LEEEEZZZEEE REVIEW!  



	5. Flames of the Past: Part 1

_There comes a time in life when one goes through a powerful transition, a time when one begins to understand their place. They realize, they are not innocent bystanders in a world filled with many dark sides, but are actually part of the darkness. When a child is born, they are introduced into an ongoing plot that really has no ending, a plot that writes its own scripts. If you benefit from it, that's good, if you don't, well then that's life. In this script you find friends, you make enemies, and you learn what's good and what's bad. The script has everything you could expect, new characters, new problems, and new episodes. Everything you do is written before you even do it. _

_But it's possible to stray away from the script. _

_Everybody has a special moment where dialogue doesn't exist. It's this improvised state of mind that defines who you really are. The special moment doesn't last very long, but it's powerful! _

_There is no greater transition than the moment you cross over from being a happy, carefree child to a grown-up that understands how this life works, they know that not all things end happily ever after. Nobody ever knows when the transition begins, only when it's already happened. And it leaves you stunned._

_Cody lie sprawled on wet pavement where it was both frightening and cold. His head hurt, and the orange lights that lit up the streets buzzed like an alarm clock held over his ears, the ringing was intense. _

_It was in that very evening this boy would come to understand something about life that he never would've imagined. Already introduced into a story that featured a kid named Jonah, Cody's transition had already begun. By the end of the night, no day afterward would ever be classified as an ordinary day. He would have closure, and the story would finally come to an end. Cody would realize where he belonged in this world, he would solve the mystery, he would know the truth, and Cody would be changed forever. But the question of how, still remained._

Flames of the Past (Part 1)

Fifteen minutes passed by. Jonah was lost, Cody was found. Paramedics had arrived at the alleyway, armed with medical supplies and a stretcher.  
Fortunately, the stretcher wasn't needed; Cody was going to be just fine. Of course Carey was panicking when she arrived in the back of the police car with Zack.  
She hysterically came running up to Cody with arms opened wide. 

"Oh my god! Cody, are you okay?"

Cody hugged his mom back but remained silent. He was in a trance like state of mind, thinking about one of the last things Jonah told him before he disappeared.

"_You were the first friend I've ever met… the only friend I've ever met. I'm glad I was able to meet you... Cody." _

Those words made him sick to his stomach. This was like a really long nightmare.

Did his stupidity sentence Jonah to death? Was he really so naïve to think he was helping, and not hurting Jonah?

Zack was not too far from mom; he was relieved to know that Cody didn't get hurt too bad.

"Whoa, dude what happened?"

Before Zack could get a response, an officer stepped in front of the three.

"Sorry to cut short the reunion, but we've got a missing kid to find. We have a few questions for you down at the station."

The twins were lead to a vehicle with mom trailing right behind. Cody was given a blanket to keep warm during the ride.  
Zack appeared to still be waiting for a response, but his brother wasn't even making eye contact.  
Upon his arrival, Cody was poked and prodded with questions he didn't have answers to.  
One badge after another entered and exited the room shaking their heads in disbelief. This kid was of no help whatsoever.Ever since he came out of the alleyway, Cody stared at his feet in a daze, overwhelmed by shock. 

Carey fidgeted in her chair, desperately waiting for her son to say something. The boy remained silent. It irritated his brother very much so. Zack knew it wasn't like Cody to just shut up, he NEVER shuts up, Cody can talk you into a coma if you let him and now all the sudden, he's got nothing to say? The room had cleared out, leaving only the three of them.

"Cody, sweetie, talk to me… Talk to you mom."

Her motherly efforts were useless. Instead, she watched her boy slowly lift his head up. The hair that draped over his face shifted sides giving the first glimpse of a face.  
But the eyes that stared directly into hers came from a stranger. Something pretty intense must've happened in that alleyway. In front of her was the saddest boy in the world, and what was worse, she didn't know how to fix it. Cody looked back down, his hair once again acting like a shield from unwanted attention. 

Another fifteen minutes shot by; they learned that a full search on Jonah began throughout the entire city. Another interrogation ensued. Cody was exhausted but he continued to try his best at being of any help.

"H-He said that it was all going to be over soon. That's when, well-that's when I found out that he swallowed three bottles of pills, and, and he freaked out when I tried to call for help, then that's where it all ended."

Sitting across from the boys was a young hotheaded female investigator named Jennifer Haley. She looked like a rookie fresh out of college. With tape recorder in hand, she furiously scribbled shorthand on her legal notepad. Cody explained how Jonah said that he was waiting for his parents in the alley and wanted him to keep it all a secret.  
It was the same story he told everyone else. 

"Now, are you sure that's everything?" Ms. Haley asked.

Cody rubbed his eyes and massaged his temples, slumping his elbows over the cold table.

"Yes, it's all I know…"

She stopped the tape recorder and gathered all of her information together appearing rather disappointed; like she didn't get the information she was looking for.

The lady then left the room in a hurry.

Zack let out a breath of relief.

"Man, I thought she'd never leave…"

Carey rubbed Cody's back in an effort to comfort him. He was unresponsive.

"Honey, why didn't you call the police earlier?"

The response was slow, almost nonexistent, but eventually it ushered forth. Carey could feel her hand begin to shake in harmony with her son's body. Short gasps of air escaped his lungs and then finally, tears flowed from Cody's face.

"I-I thought I could fix everything. He didn't have a single friend in the world and I thought I would be able to help him… I'm sorry mom, I, I just wanted to help..."

As Zack watched his brother sob uncontrollably, he couldn't help but look away. Watching people cry always embarrassed him. With his attention diverted, he noticed the dirt and grime that was plastered all over Cody's clothes, a sign that he actually left home for once. Was it normal to feel guilty about Cody even though he couldn't have done anything to prevent what happened? Zack admitted to himself that the reason this happened the way it did was because Cody had separated himself from the real world for so long, he couldn't deal with real problems. But could you blame him for staying inside all the time? He sucked at sports, he sucked at making friends, and he really sucked at being normal. Cody had quite a talent for making an ass out of himself in public, especially at school. Yeah, it was funny, but who cared, it was Cody; Zack was the only friend he needed. But, things sort've changed when they got in middle school. All the sudden it wasn't about sticking together anymore, making new friends was all the new rage. Cody started getting all these smart people classes and it started to create a divide between what was once inseparable.  
Cody was the nerd and Zack was normal. The two divisions just didn't mix. The thing with nerds is they get book smart, but lose all common sense once they leave the classroom. Cody wasn't able to understand that what people loved and praised him for in the classroom meant nothing the moment that bell rang. If you want to survive anywhere you go, you have to know how to be normal, and not scare people. When it came to the real world and real life issues, Cody was a certified retard.The reason Zack felt guilty in that little room was because he left Cody to fend for himself at school, and at life. He never taught the basic concepts of surviving the hallways, surviving in the real world. If he had done that, Cody would've never done something as crazy as keeping Jonah a secret, he would've done the smart thing. Cody lived in a fantasy, where he thought that people could get better by pretending there wasn't a problem. But reality shook everything out of place. Cody wasn't ready for it, now here he was dazed and in shock. Hell, this ordeal would probably set him back to being an antisocial for the next year. 

Carey broke into tears almost immediately after Cody. She had never seen her son so hurt, so confused. All he ever wanted to do was help make things better, make things right. Now he thought of himself as a criminal responsible for everything that happened.

"It's okay sweetie… it's okay. They're going to find him and they're going to help him. You'll see. Everything's going to be okay."

Zack let out a heavy sigh. There was too much emotional drama. This was one of those times he wished dad were still in the house.  
Dad would know what to say to keep everybody calm and relaxed but, since he wasn't here, it was up to him to be strong. Even though Zack was used to this, it never meant that it was easy. He soon realized that breaking down in front of Cody was a mistake, one he vowed to himself never to make again. It was his weakest point ever and he shouldn't have let emotion get in the way. It was time for him to regain his composure. 

Zack stood up from his chair.

"C'mon guys it's not the end of the world. Cody, just because Jonah made his own decision, doesn't mean it's your fault. Whether he dies or not, it's not your problem."

Cody turned to his brother in shock.

"How can you say that?"

"Did you jam those pills down his throat? No. Whatever world he's livin in, it has nothing to do with you!"

A few more tears ran down Cody's face.

"But he could die!"

"Yeah, or the psycho could live and if he does, they should throw him in the loony bin so that he gets help, real help, not some foster home, but real help! This kid has mental issues, stuff that you can't handle in that dream world you're in!"

Carey was taken by surprise.

"Zachary Martin! What has gotten into you? Now you listen to me"

He became frustrated.

"Why-do-you-keep-babying-Cody!!!" Zack shouted.

A brief moment of silence followed. Cody's head lifted from mothers shoulder.

Carey didn't understand.

"Zack what are you talking about?"

His hands balled into fists. Zack turned away, afraid to make eye contact. The walls in the room seemed to get smaller and smaller.  
The lights got blindingly brighter. Something was about to happen, something that he has feared for a long time. 

"Always with the cuddling," he softly replied.

"Cuddling?"

"Of course **you** wouldn't understand."

Yes, something that Zack feared for a long time was coming right out of his mouth; he couldn't seem to stop it.  
It was the truth about his feelings towards everything that's happened in his life. 

"You're always hiding the truth mom. You're always trying to cuddle everybody's problems away…"

Carey laughed sarcastically.

"Zack, I don't understand what you're saying. Am I not allowed to be mom?"

"You and dad both. You always try to pretend nothings wrong."

Carey stopped smiling. The look on Zack's face told her that he was serious.

"If you're questioning my right to be your parent, you're seriously crossing the line"

Zack cut her off with his motherly impersonation of her.

"_Everything's going to be fine sweetie, just because mommy and daddy are separating doesn't mean we don't love you…'_

'_Hey sweetie, Daddy can't pick you up this week, he's got a gig in New York.'_

'_You know Zack, if you apply yourself, you can do anything you set your mind to.'_

I'm not questioning your parenting mom; I'm questioning the lines of bullshit you've fed us since we were little. You think that's supposed to make everything better?"

"You'd better watch your mouth young man, I am **not** playing around here!"

"Always with the cuddling and holding… you've babied Cody his whole life. Nobody ever cuddled **me** when dad left, nobody ever cuddled **me** when I was afraid of the dark, I **never** asked for a bedtime story and a nightlight, and yet I grew up just fine! You wanna know why this happened? You wanna know why Cody is so "confused" right now? The problem is you."

Carey's jaw dropped, she wasn't sure whether to be angry or shocked.

"Don't you EVER, and I mean EVER talk to me like that again!"

Zack's heart raced, mom was upset but his mouth wouldn't stop running. Any other time he would've caved in but now, it's as if the barrier that kept everything he felt inside broke. He looked his mother directly in the eye.

"You don't ever let Cody hit the ground. That's why he thinks he can't fall; he thinks that everything he does is going to be perfect."

"What are you, the father now?"

"In case you haven't noticed mom, nobody's filling the position."

"Zack that's enough!"

"Even now you got him wrapped up nice n' tight like a little baby tellin him _"everything's going to be fine"_ when you know that Jonah could be dead before anyone finds him. When are you gonna back off. Look at him, you've turned him into a sissy."

Cody pulled himself away from his mom and stood in front of his brother.

"Stop talking like that Zack! Stop fighting with mom!"

"Or what Cody, you'll close your eyes and wish it all away? You think blankey will protect you? Let me teach you something about **real** life. Just cause this was the first time you ever messed up doesn't mean you're the first to ever feel pain!"

"What?"

"You've got ass loads to be proud of, a whole lot more than I do. I've screwed up way more times than you have; you're not allowed to be mad at yourself. Hell, you know what your real problem is? You're too damn perfect…"

Cody didn't quite understand.

"What do you mean too perfect?"

A sarcastic smile spread on Zack face.

"Oh that's funny. Ha, ha, freakin ha! Don't play stupid. That's my job remember?"

"Okay, I don't know exactly what your implying-"

"See, there you go again with all your smart talk. Since you're pretending so well, lets pretend our life is so grand that we have our own T.V. show.  
If our life was a show it would be about one really smart kid with a dumb ass brother who does nothing right, always gets yelled at, always gets detention, never able to live up to his brothers 'oh so superior' standards" 

Cody placed his hand on Zack's shoulder.

"Zack, that not true"

Immediately his hand was slapped away by his anger stricken brother.

"I'm Not Finished!"

Zack's nostrils flared, his face was turning red. He looked over at mom. She had a hand over her mouth; this unveiling of her sons' feelings came as a surprise.  
Her hand began to quiver and her eyes began to well up. 

"The smart kid does everything right… everything by the book. He's loved and adored by everyone. He never gets into trouble, he never gets yelled at, and he's the best kid a parent could ever ask for…"

His attention is refocused on Cody.

"Now, who do you think the show would be about, the smart kid or his loser brother?"

Cody was in awe. Is this how he really feels? Does he really think he's a loser?

Zack was close to tears, but they were tears of anger and disgust. He was through playing make-believe. But crying was a weakness he refused to display.  
Instead he finished what he had to say. 

"You run the show little bro. Do you understand now? You see why you can't be mad at yourself?"

The room got so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. It wasn't the best place for family council but if anybody peeked inside the room, they'd swear it was a rehearsal for the next Dr Phil show. One thing was for certain; somebody needed to yell 'cut'.

Zack finally calmed down enough to realize the impact his words had.

Upon realizing the depth of inner emotion he'd just exposed out in the open, he got a little embarrassed and sat down on the other side of the table not even daring to look anybody in the eye.

It took Carey a while before she could muster up the right words to say, her breath was literally taken away. After all, her son just poured his heart out in the most ironic of places, an interrogation room. However, as a loving and caring mother, Carey was not completely without words. She stood up from her chair and slowly walked to the other side of the table and quietly pulled out the other chair next to Zack. She sat down and stared at her son who did everything in his power to avoid eye contact.  
She breathed softly, then calmly, collectively spoke to her son. 

"Zachary, look at me sweetie."

His head slowly lifted up. This was another thing Zack was afraid of, another snuggly, cuddly, sickeningly childish attempt to make all the bad things go away. What line was she going to say this time? What loving and compassionate words of comfort would she have to say?

"Have you lost your mind?!?" she shouted.

Both Zack and Cody were taken by surprise.  
That was probably the last thing they thought they were going to hear, and definitely not along the lines of what Zack expected. 

"Huh?"

"Seriously, have you lost your mind?"

Zack wasn't sure as how to reply.

"Um… no."

"Obviously you have. Maybe it's because we don't talk as much as we should, or maybe it's because your dad isn't around enough, but let me get one thing straight. I have 'never' favored one son over the other."

Zack turned away in disbelief.

"Oh come on mom. You and I both know that Cody is your favorite."

"What kind of a moron do you take me for?"

"I never said you're a moron mom, now you're putting words in my mouth."

"I didn't have to put those words in your mouth sweetie. You actually think I prefer your brother to you because he makes better grades?"

Zack didn't bother to answer.

"Don't give me the silent treatment. You've obviously put a lot of thought into this, and it's time to get this off your chest. You've been distant with me lately and I've noticed some other changes in you too. You've always been so cheerful and without a care in the world. Now all of the sudden you've become so angry at the world, angry with me. I think it's more than just Cody and his grades."

Zack turned back around.

"It's not just the grades! I've failed at everything I've ever done. And you keep saying that life is so wonderful and carefree when it's not. You say the same old lines over and over again, it's getting old."

"I'm your mother Zack, it's my job to be comforting. I don't know what happened between now and whenever, but you've lost your self-confidence, your self worth, and you're taking it out on everyone around you, it's not fair."

"You wanna know what's not fair? Pretending that I'm 'not' angry. Pretending that I have every reason to be happy, pretending the same way you do. It's unfair that I can't be like Cody; I'm not even allowed to be myself."

Cody watched this ongoing feud and realized that this explosion of emotions was a long time coming. He noticed that his brother was worn out from the inside. Was it normal to feel guilty about Zack's inability to express his emotions? After all, Cody never had a problem saying what he felt. He never thought that Zack was trying to paint this macho picture to hide behind. Cody felt responsible for that. He relied on Zack too much to be the one he went to whenever he had a problem with somebody at school. Then middle school happened. They each got different classes, different teachers, and different types of friends. Cody was the intellect and Zack was the jock. The two divisions just don't mix. The thing with jocks is they get street smart, but lose all common sense once they enter the classroom. Zack wasn't able to understand that what people loved and praised him for at lunchtime meant nothing the moment that bell rang. If you want to survive anywhere you go, you have to know how to be normal, and not scare people. Cody always did Zack's homework but never once showed him how to do it. His older brother always made a fool of himself in class. Zack lived in a fantasy, where he thought that people succeed in life by pretending there wasn't a problem. But reality shook everything out of place. He had bottled up everything he ever felt and now, Zack had let everything out at once, unable to control anything he said. How ironic though, discovering that both twins were jealous of each other.

"Nobody ever asked for you to be a hero sweetie. If I had known that this is how you really felt all these years…"

Carey took a deep breath and exhaled.

"I know that these past few years have been rough… it seems that I've overlooked a few things. I try to be as optimistic about life as much as possible, and I guess I tried too hard to rub it off on you guys too. Zack, I never wanted you to bottle up your feelings like this. I always had this dream that one day we could all take the past and… I don't know, forget about it?"

For the first time in a long time, Zack found it bearable to listen to mom. This was a real conversation about real feelings, something that they both tried so hard to suppress all these years. There had been flames of the past that seemed to burn brighter than they ever had before.

"Okay. You're right about Jonah. We shouldn't pretend that everything is going to be fine. We shouldn't keep hiding from reality… it's just that everything that's happened over the years was a little difficult to handle. Is it really bad if I try to remain hopeful that everything might work out? Good things can still happen. There are people out there right now looking for that poor kid, experienced in this kind of thing. We can't abandon all possibility of success."

Zack knew mom was right. Good things can still happen. Tonight, the flames of the past decided to spark, perhaps igniting a series of oncoming events to transpire through the night. Certain repressed memories had come back in full force, bringing about change. The trio began looking at each other in acknowledgement. It was clear that they were all still in this together. Each person was going through his or her own trials during this difficult time. Zack realized he had been a little harsh on everybody. Maybe it was because he was frustrated. This life didn't have any clear-cut answers to any of his questions, the main topic being about Jonah. The past few weeks have done a number on his brain. Was this just a sick and twisted joke being played on him?

At the very least, some good had come out of this. Zack didn't need to hide his feelings in the dark anymore. There's no good in pretending that he can muscle his way through his emotional pain. Everything that had happened over the past few weeks seemed to have thrown everything out of place.

There comes a time in life when one goes through a powerful transition, a time when one begins to understand their place.  
A near death experience changed Zack's personality inside out.  
He was no longer the careless kid that brushed past life like it was nothing.  
He was aware of his mortality, and he knew that one day he was going to die.  
With that knowledge came the understanding of his place. If he were going to make the best of his life, it would be better to stop living in the past and move forward.

Carey began to realize that simple answers to big questions weren't good enough anymore.  
Her kids were growing up, and one day they might think back on their life and be upset that she wasn't completely honest with them.

Cody, most of all, began to see reality for the first time. Was the mysterious Jonah not so big of a mystery after all? Was he simply a troubled kid that needed to be helped like anybody else? Did those dreams really have no meaning at all? With questions came more questions. As Cody sat at that table, he began to ponder something that never really crossed his mind before. At first he thought that this whole ordeal was about Jonah, that this was all about the mysterious kid that told him not to tell a soul what happened. This is what he thought ever since he met Jonah. But now, something new entered his thoughts and somehow, he knew that it was more than Jonah that brought about all of this change. Somehow, the earthquake was involved. It came about unexpectedly, and with that earthquake came a shift of change, but why? Why was this natural disaster the reason everything changed? The night was far from over, and in the most unexpected way, the entire mystery would be solved.

The truth was just around the corner.

* * *

_okay, i know it's been a while since i updated, but i have a good reason._

_**Flames of the Past** is a long and percisely crafted ending to Monster Child._  
I really dont want to screw it up.  
_This was only part 1 of 3! _

I was going to release all three parts at the same time and make it my first ever triple update, but NYC and probably a couple of other people were wondering if I was going to update.

Let me know if you'd rather see the story in chapters or a huge update.


	6. Flames of the Past: Part 2

**_this is a short chapter... at least for me._**

* * *

Flames of the Past (Part 2)

The time for finding Jonah was running out. He had said some pretty intense stuff in the alleyway before he disappeared and what was worse, there was no telling what he meant by it.

"_You can only treat someone like a monster for so long… until they become a monster." _

"How could he be chasing after a family that's already dead?" Cody asked.

"Well, I really don't know sweetie."

Carey seemed exhausted. Past all of the arguing, the worrying and early morning rehearsal, she was ready to fall asleep standing up.

Zack sat there twiddling his thumbs, wondering if they were going to go home or be asked another fifty questions. The craziness had settled, at least a little bit. It had been a while since anybody entered the room. Maybe, it was time to let this go. After all, from this point, it was out of anybody's control. But, would going home be the best option right now, would anybody be able to sleep?

Just when it seemed like the storm was over, the door suddenly opened and two people came inside the room. Detective Jennifer Haley arrived at the table with a stern face, and the other cop who looked like he was in his late thirties, early forties, stood right behind her. In his hands were two large brown folders rubber banded together. Like heavy books they made a thud upon hitting the table. As Carey and Zack made their way back to the other side of the table, Ms. Haley took a seat while the other officer remained standing.

"What's going on?" Carey asked.

The rubber bands were pulled off and placed to the side. The folder on top was opened first while the other was slid aside. Both officers seemed to have quite serious looks on their faces, perhaps even more so than earlier. Haley started the conversation.

"We've spent most of the day searching for information regarding a missing boy named Jonah. It wasn't until about two hours before you arrived, we were able to find anything useful."

Carey nodded her head knowingly.

"Yes, I'm aware of that, you called earlier. I know about Jonah's parent's and their deaths."

The lady scratched her forehead and then looked at her partner. They exchange silent facial expressions of communication with each other before Ms. Haley continued.

"Yes, well that was to the extent of what you were told over the phone. Ms. Martin, we've been looking for this kid for quite some time now. I would like you to notice how thick the folders are. This is more than an open and shut case. I believe with your sons help, we can locate the boy."

The last part of the sentence seemed like forced courtesy. In defense, Carey placed her hands on Cody's shoulders.

"Well, you were in here earlier, Cody's told you everything he knows."

"So he says."

"What exactly are you accusing my son of, lying?"

"Not necessarily lying Ms. Martin, just withholding valuable information. I think you know more than what you're telling us Cody."

Cody started to panic. All eyes focused on him.

"I swear there's nothing that I haven't already said."

Unconvinced, Jennifer Haley decided to push it even more. Perhaps being nice wasn't the answer. She leaned forward in her chair, took a deep breath to relax, and then looked the kid straight in the eye.

"I find that really hard to swallow Cody. A missing boy turns up randomly after falling off the face of the earth, nobody has heard from him, and then after this thirty to forty-five minute buddy, buddy conversation, he just leaves? I don't buy that for a second."

Cody's heart started beating in over drive he was getting really scared.

"I told you already, he said he was waiting for his family."

This seemed like a perfect way to end this already nightmare of a day. First, he gets a blow to the head and now these accusations. What reason would Cody have to lie? Regardless of that reasoning, the lady still did not seem convinced. She leaned back into her chair once more.

"Okay Cody, so I'm supposed to believe this kid left his twin brother completely out of the conversation?"

"Wait… what?"

"Don't play stupid. There was a reason he chose you as his friend. He thinks of you as his equal. You're a twin, he's a twin."

"No, no, wait. Jonah has a twin?"

The folder was pushed towards Cody.

"It's all in his folders, take a look. Maybe something might 'ring a bell' to you. It took a while to dig up this information primarily because of the fake name."

"What? He's not… Jonah isn't his real name?"

"No! It's not his real name! But I'm sure you already knew that since the kid you're looking at in this file developed serious mental problems after he watched his parents die in a fire. I'm sure as his only friend; you'd already know that his twin brother was also inside that house wouldn't you?"

Carey placed a hand over her mouth.

"Oh my God…"

Cody started, "I didn't know…"

"You didn't know huh? Look, I don't really have to beat around the bush with you; you probably know a whole lot more than I do. I'm sure you're aware of a lot of things that could possibly help your friend, but instead of being a solution, you choose to be the problem. I am a very busy woman that doesn't have time to play your little childish games! Kid you have no idea what I'm prepared to…"

Zack rushed to Cody's defense.

"Leave him alone, he said he doesn't know anything! You think if he knew that he would… Listen lady, just because you have nothing to go off of, or whatever, doesn't mean you can just bully anyone you want?"

The detective sneered at Zack.

"Stay out of this kid."

Carey got upset; she stood up and looked the detective straight in the eye.

"Leave my boys alone. You think you know everything don't you? Well you are barking up the wrong tree lady. How dare you accuse any of my kids of lying! The problem here is you. You obviously screwed up."

At first the detective wasn't aware of the impact she had just inflicted with those three little tidbits of information. Beyond the anger on the outside, Zack was surprised. Beyond the confusion, Cody was horrified. A fake name… a dead twin… neither of those things had ever crossed his mind. Jonah is not really Jonah? But why, why would he go through all this trouble to change his name, or never mention the fact that he had a brother? And why would this lady think any of them would know about it?

Jennifer Haley's glare disappeared. Perhaps the detective realized that she jumped into this conversation a little unprepared. Before saying anything else, she studied Cody's face carefully looking for the slightest altercation of truth within a face scarred with revelation and confusion, the slightest movement of the eyes, the scratching of the forehead, all the traits that revealed a liar. It was nonexistent.

"You really don't know anything, do you?"

It wasn't really a question, but she knew somehow, Cody absolutely had no clue as to what was really going on. The papers he shakily thumbed through were foreign material. Pictures of a burning house, along with snapshots of a bedroom completely torched, burned into his memory. Once flipping through all the papers, Cody found a picture of the little boy that was rescued. He had grey eyes. These images were becoming a little too much for Cody and he began to feel nauseous. He closed the file and pushed it back to the center of the table.

Another chapter had been opened in this dark tale. The darkest of truths lurking behind this case was about to unveil before curious minds. The police officer that stood next to the table continued the story. "His real name is Joseph… and to make a long story short, his life has been anything but glamorous. The boy displays schizophrenic, antisocial behavior. He's delusional, and claims to hear voices and see monsters."

Carey was furious. She slammed the palm of her hand on the table.

"Is there a reason why you're telling this to my kids? Is there even a reason you're still here harassing my son? They don't need to hear this. This isn't part of the interrogation, he's told you everything he knows."

Cody put his hand on his mothers shoulder.

"It's okay mom, I, I want to hear it."

"No Cody, you just sit right there and let me handle this"

"Mom!"

Carey paused and stared at her son.

"Mom, I need to hear it."

Carey was a little taken back.

"But… sweetie, you don't need to hear all of the sickening details of this… this horror story."

She noticed the seriousness of Cody's face. It was her maternal instinct to be protective, but she knew what that face meant.

"It's okay mom."

Carey found it hard accepting the fact that her Cody would allow this information to possibly inflict any kind of damage to his innocence. But as for Cody, he was starting to realize that after all this time; he knew nothing about Jonah at all. He knew nothing about reality either. All of these things about dreams and messages within could only be figments of his imagination. There was nothing special or absolute about any of it. Everything he 'thought' he knew was a lie. Everything in that file had blown all he imagined out of the water and was a revelation of the first bit of truth he had ever gotten.

Carey decided to respect her son's wishes. Sloping back into her chair, she folded her arms in defeat and let the situation play out. Cody looked at both officers.

"Tell me everything."

Both investigating officers took a good look at Cody. They got the feeling that this kid had been through about as much as they have trying to figure this whole thing out. From the beginning it was all one made up story. Cody remembered the first time he saw Jonah. He looked so pitiful, now he understood why. It had nothing to do with the clothes he was wearing, or that red backpack. Jonah's face had terrified written all over it. It must've been scary not knowing where he belonged in this world, his mind shrouded in confusion.

"That is everything kid."

Zack was finally able to understand what went on in the bathroom the other day. When Jonah spoke out loud and said 'you lied to me" he actually thought he was staring at his brother through the mirror. A conversation with a dead brother, just thinking about it gave him the creeps.

"Now Cody, I want you to think very hard because even the slightest clue could be important. Did Jonah tell you anything about himself when you were in the alleyway, his past, or his family?"

"No. But he did talk to himself… he didn't know I was there yet. He said, _for a really long time I didn't know why I was still here. I was starting to feel like I was back at that house all over again, the two of us, _or something like that."

As Cody reflected, he remembered that caged animal look Jonah gave, like he knew nothing about human society. Although that was disturbing, it was nothing like that moment in which he savagely constricted the life out of that rat. Jonah had spent all of this time out in the streets alone looking for something and for one reason or another, he believed that his family was coming for him tonight.

Then it dawned on Cody that Jonah mentioned something else.

"When I actually got to speak to Jonah, he asked me, what if you had monsters that never left and would torment you every day?"

By the looks of the both officers, it seemed as if Cody said something very important.

"I can't believe it, after all of these years…he's gotten worse."

"It's like chasing a damn ghost."

"Do you think he's headed back to where his house was?"

"It's worth a shot Jen. Given the history it has, I doubt he'd go anywhere else."

Cody looked hopeful. "What history, you know where he is?"

His question was ignored, instead the detectives continued to converse with each other.

"It all makes sense. He's suffering from constant Deja Vu. His mind is having trouble letting go of the past, it's drowning out all reality. He can't tell the difference anymore, just like back then."

As the story unfolded right before Cody, he couldn't help but realize that everything that happened over the past few days had a connection.

"I remember when it all happened, even down to the emergency rescue." The officer said. "The poor kid didn't move a muscle. Didn't even blink, he couldn't stop staring at the flames. I had to carry him away from that burning house."

A quizzical expression folded over his face as he stared off into space.

"He was shivering out of control. I was a rookie fresh out of training back then and I didn't know how to help him. But… then a fireman came running towards me, he told me that the boy was _going into shock, keep him warm_.' So I grabbed a blanket and wrapped him up. The paramedics took over after that."

And just like that, Cody remembered what Jonah said when they were all buried inside that classroom.

"She's going into shock, keep her warm."

"H-how d-do you k-know this?" the girl had said…

Jonah never answered.

The officer kept talking. "The last I ever heard about the boy was from a social worker who said that he had been mentally traumatized from everything that happened. The kid swore that he could see monsters. Monsters were everywhere, telling him to do things, tormenting him every day of every moment. What I found the most interesting part of this case was the fact that he gave these monsters two distinct names. He called them Mommy and Daddy."

Cody spoke up. "Well, can't we help him?"

Both detectives glanced over at him, nearly forgetting that the twins were still in the room. Jennifer spoke first.

"You're done kid, you can go home."

Jennifer began to gather up the files, her partner motioned for everyone to get up.

"What! You can't just leave everything at that!" Cody shouted.

"We're not, YOU are. Officially, this is no longer your concern. The vending machine is outside, feel free to grab a snack on your way out."

The twins were pushed out and told to go home, there was nothing more that they could do. At this point in life, the script entails that this was the earth shattering climatic moment that would change Cody into a completely different person. Cody was just given the whole unedited story about Jonah. What next? The lines that have been written for his dialogue state that he admits defeat, he runs into his mother's arms as the disgustingly sappy music begins to play. Zack would curse the day he was born as the angst ridden boy's soul would become like a rusty knife sheathed into its pocket of darkness, appearing into the light of day only to bring pain to others. The other boy with the lost soul, the lost name, the unforgettable dark past with the unforgettable good deed, treated with unforgettable cruelty would be found dead. Overdosed on the good stuff, the secret assassin that promised to create the perfect future, where all the lies come true. Oh yes, the script has everything; Angst, more angst, a touch of happiness here, a dash of heroes and villains there.

But, everybody also has a special moment where written dialogue doesn't exist. It's this improvised state of mind that defines who you really are. The special moment doesn't last very long, but it's powerful! Take this moment in time for example. Both Zack and Cody were thrown out of the interrogation room after they were pumped for the little bit of information they had. All they could do was wait for their mom, go home, then go to bed. But like the earthquake, something surprising was about to happen; something that was not written in the script.

"This is hopeless, isn't it Zack?"

The older twin remained quiet as he stared at the roof with his back hugging the wall.

Cody didn't wait for an answer.

"I mean, is it too late to start hoping for the best?"

Zack remained motionless. Cody stared down the hallway at the people sitting on the benches with handcuffs around their wrists. On the other side there were a few people still doing late night shifts of typing up reports on the computer and drinking their coffee. Cody was beginning to realize that these people in this room could probably care less about what was going on around them. They were here to do their job, get up and then go home. That is the main focus of their life. They were all lab rats. The people out there looking for Jonah were lab rats too. They had a job to do and that was to find him bring him to a hospital where he gets well, and then leave him is some home. That would be to the extent of everything they would do for him. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

"Why doesn't anybody give a crap!?" he shouted.

A few people looked up from their computers and then looked back down. Still, Zack remained motionless. Cody folded his arms then turned his attention towards his dirty sneakers. Maybe it was too late to hope for anything.

"He's not at that house…" Zack said.

Cody looked up.

"What?"

Zack swayed his head over to Cody.

"He's not at that house."

The younger twin was puzzled.

"What are you talking about?"

"I know where he is." Zack finished.


End file.
